Remnant
by Nate Grey
Summary: Nel and her brothers come to Karakura Town, and end up staying to protect the Kurosaki family from Hollows. But the true threat in town is Xcution, and the means to stopping them may rely on reviving an even bigger threat.
1. Chapter 1

Notes: There were many possible routes Bleach could have gone with Ichigo powerless, and this, I feel, would have been the most amusing one, if only because Nel is, in my biased opinion, one of the funniest characters in the series.

2nd Note, as of Manga Chapter 485: Well, that's just PERFECT. Now no one will EVER believe I came up with this idea first. Same thing happened with Kisame in Naruto, I swear.

Summary: Nel comes to Karakura Town to reunite with Ichigo, and stays to protect him. Her presence, however, makes possible the one hidden wish that even Orihime's powers couldn't realize.

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><p><strong>Remnant<strong>

**A Bleach Fanfic by**

**Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Arrival<strong>

As she did nearly every morning, Tsumugiya Ururu began her duties an hour early.

Things had been fairly quiet at the Urahara Shop lately. With the threat of Aizen and his Arrancar ended, this was no real surprise, but even Hollows seemed a rarity recently. This was fine with Ururu, as it meant more time she could spend actually working in the shop. Though there was rarely a shortage of Shinigami in Karakura Town, with the town's main protector forced into early retirement, Ururu had been helping to keep the area free of Hollows, far more than she ever had before. Her boss assured her that it wasn't necessary, but Ururu couldn't bring herself to stop. Kurosaki Ichigo had come to the shop one day before school and personally asked her to help out when she could. It was not so much the way he'd asked, but the mere fact that he'd even bothered. People tended to overlook Ururu quite a bit, so when someone went to the trouble of singling her out (nerve-wracking as that tended to be for her), she greatly appreciated it.

Anyway, Ichigo's sister Yuzu regularly brought by fresh-baked cookies, and even if Ururu hadn't liked Yuzu (which she did), she would kill a person with a thumbtack in front of their own grandmother for just one of those cookies.

Unfortunately, Ururu's fellow shop worker Jinta didn't share her work ethic, and refused to get up any earlier than he absolutely had to, which meant that she usually started sweeping the front yard alone in the morning. This did not bother her, as it gave her time to think.

As it turned out, this also gave her perfect positioning for the Garganta that opened up right behind her one morning. Having seen them plenty of times before, Ururu spun around and raised her broom in what she hoped was a threatening way, mentally preparing herself for a fight.

The Arrancar that appeared first was easily the scariest thing Ururu had ever seen, living or dead, and she hurtled forward at once, whacking it repeatedly with her broom and completely ignoring its groans of protest and pain.

"There is no need for that," said a calm, mature voice somewhere above Ururu's head. "Despite all appearances to the contrary, my Fracción are perfectly capable of cleaning themselves."

Ururu froze and slowly raised her head. There was a tall woman with long, green hair staring at her. Except that she was less a woman and more an Arrancar, insisted a tiny voice in Ururu's head. Only she didn't seem at all like an enemy, so Ururu responded accordingly, as she'd been trained. "W-Welcome to Urahara Shop, my name is Ururu, how may I assist you?"

The woman continued to stare at her. "I am looking for Kurosaki Ichigo. I have business with him."

"Also Ishida Uryū! I definitely have some business with him!" added the third newcomer, and upon noticing his bug-like face, Ururu's hands twitched on her broom.

"He's also with me," the woman added, apparently used to her Fracción drawing such a reaction from people.

"I think they're probably on their way to school by now," Ururu said. "But my boss knows where they live, so maybe he can help you. I could make some tea while you wait." In truth, Ururu was merely trying to stall: she knew nothing about these Arrancar, save that two of them were hideous, but the woman, at least, might still be a potential customer.

The woman smiled. "That sounds lovely. Oh, and I must seem so rude to you. I haven't introduced myself yet. You may call me Nel."

Ururu was about to assure her that it was fine, but at that moment, the shop's front door flew open.

"Ururu!" Jinta bellowed as he stuck his head out. "Where'd you-?" He trailed off upon spotted her and their guests. Then his eyes widened, and he charged forward, baring his teeth in a grimace. "You three! Get away from Ururu!"

"No, Jinta-kun!" Ururu cried, frantically waving her arms. "They're customers! Customers!"

Jinta stopped short, having heard the magic word. "Really? You sure?" He eyed Nel suspiciously.

"Yes! Please, go inside and get the boss, they need to talk to him."

"But aren't they-?"

"Yes," Ururu admitted, "but they have manners."

Jinta gaped at her in shock. As a rule, most Hollows didn't have manners. The few that did were generally being sarcastic, which didn't really count. "Well, that's fine, but they better have some money on them! No way I'm letting Arrancar into the shop unless they're buying!"

"That will not be necessary," Nel replied. "It took a few moments, but I can now sense Ichigo's Reiryoku. We're sorry to have troubled you." She turned to her companions. "Pesche, Dondochakka, I'm going ahead. You may wait here and join me later, if you wish."

Pesche shook his head and bowed deeply. "Of course we will accompany you anywhere, Nel-sama, through the deepest darkness and until the ends of time."

Nel smiled warmly. "You two... you truly are my brothers. Thank you. Shall we go, then?"

Before Ururu could protest, the three Arrancar vanished from the yard.

Jinta frowned. "This isn't good. If those guys are going after Ichigo, he's going to need some serious help!"

"They won't hurt him," Ururu replied with certainty. "They're not enemies."

"Well, you were wrong about them being customers, so maybe I'll tell the boss, anyway," Jinta decided, turning to go back inside.

Not surprisingly, their boss was already standing in the doorway, staring off into the direction the three Arrancar had likely gone in. "No need to be alarmed, you two. Those Arrancar won't do anything to Kurosaki-san." He paused and grinned. "Well, nothing that he doesn't deserve."

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><p>Alone on the roof of his school, Kurosaki Ichigo stared at the specially made lunch in his lap as if it were a bomb. It wasn't, of course, having been made by one of his closest friends especially for him. Said friend, however, had some very unique tastes that most people simply could not fathom or stomach. All that aside, the real reason Ichigo wasn't eating the lunch was because he had no idea what it was supposed to represent.<p>

Things had been predictably odd since he and his friends had returned from Hueco Mundo. While the experience had brought them closer together, at least initially, it had also driven a very large wedge between them. The adventure had cost Ichigo his Shinigami powers, and as much as he hated to admit it, that had been a large portion of his friendship with the others. Now that he was unable to fight Hollows or defend the town against any other form of supernatural evil, being around his friends only served as a constant reminder of what he had lost and would never get back.

The worst part by far was that Ichigo had begun distancing himself from his friends, both out of convenience and necessity. It was less painful not to see them and be reminded of his lost powers, but it was equally important that he not become a sitting duck for any Hollows targeting his friends. Every Kurosaki had unusually high Reiryoku, and while Ichigo's was supposed to be almost completely gone, he wasn't about to tempt fate. Most of his friends understood this, and while they weren't happy about it, they at least tried to act as if nothing were wrong.

Naturally, Inoue Orihime was the only one unable to be even halfway convincing. She was a lousy actress, and beyond that, probably the friend who cared the most for Ichigo as a person. It wasn't entirely her fault, however: they had all risked their lives to bring her home safely, so of course she was eternally grateful to them. Theirs was the type of friendship where no one actually required her thanks for their part in her rescue, but it simply wasn't in her nature to receive a favor and not show appreciation. The only thing she could think of was to make lunches for everyone, though due to her unusual taste in food, this was both a kindness and a curse. Ichigo didn't have the heart to refuse a gift she'd worked so hard on, but then neither did any of his other friends. He had tried giving the lunches to stray dogs and cats, but lately they had all wised up and ran the moment they saw him coming. Ichigo was seriously considering forcing the food on a Hollow, but wasn't sure if a concoction so inhumane would either destroy the Hollow outright or simply make it stronger.

Without warning, Ichigo suddenly sensed a presence behind him. With his Reiryoku reduced near the zero point, it was extremely difficult to do even that, so there was no telling how long he'd had a visitor. Ichigo spun around, fully expecting a Hollow, and he was right, though not in the way he'd expected. "Nel?" he asked, staring at her in shock. "You're here? But how?"

Frowning, Nel raised her hand and slapped him across the face, hard enough to send him flying off of the roof. If Ichigo had still had his Shinigami powers, he strongly suspected that such a blow would have knocked his spirit form completely out of his body. Unfortunately, he didn't have them, and Nel didn't know that, judging by the look of surprise on her face as Ichigo failed to stop himself in mid-air and plummeted toward the ground. Fortunately, Nel was still an Espada-level Arrancar, and she was waiting on the ground to catch Ichigo neatly in her arms.

"You've lost your powers, Ichigo," Nel stated, still looking perplexed. "So that's why it took me so long to sense your Reiryoku. What happened to you?"

"I think a better question is what was that slap for?" Ichigo demanded, rubbing his aching cheek.

Frowning, Nel immediately dropped him roughly on the ground. "If you really don't know, maybe I should slap you again."

Ichigo scowled at her as he stood up. "Nel, what are you talking about? The last time I saw you, Kenpachi had just defeated Nnorita. He saved all of our lives! Why would you be mad about that?"

Nel glared at him. "And what happened after that, Ichigo?"

"You were there! That Espada grabbed Inoue, and I went after her-"

"And where was I, Ichigo?" Nel interrupted angrily.

Ichigo blinked. "Um... I guess you were... right were I... left you?"

"Exactly," Nel snapped. "You. Left. Me."

"Well, what was I supposed to do? Take you with me while I fought someone who pretty much killed me the last time we fought? It was way too dangerous, Nel! Believe it or not, I actually died a second time fighting Ulquiorra!"

"And it never occurred to you," Nel replied, "that the best way to defeat one Espada might be to have another on your side?"

Ichigo shook his head. "Nel, you couldn't even beat Nnorita before your power ran out. There was no way you could have helped with Ulquiorra."

"Really? You're so sure of that? And you defeated him entirely by yourself?"

"...Inoue and and Ishida may have helped," Ichigo admitted softly.

"Oh? And they're both stronger than me?"

"...I guess not."

"So will you admit that it might have been a good idea to take me with you? Especially considering that the only time I managed to access my true form, was at a time when you were in mortal danger?"

"It was a crisis!" Ichigo cried. "There was a lot going on! I didn't have time to think about everything! I just wanted you to be safe!"

"No," Nel disagreed. "You left me because you thought I wouldn't be able to help you. If you had done it to protect me, I wouldn't be angry. But who was there to protect you from being killed, Ichigo? No one. You died, anyway. And now we'll never know if I could have saved you or bought you some time, because you left me. In fact, I'm starting to suspect that you losing your powers is somehow due to another choice where you again refused to depend on the help of your friends."

Ichigo frowned at her, obviously not wanting to admit that she was right. "Fine, Nel. If you wanted an apology, all you had to do was say so."

"But I don't want an apology," she answered. "It wouldn't change what you did or how I feel about it, so there wouldn't be any point. What I want is for you to promise that you'll never do anything like that again. If there's even the smallest chance that I can help you in the future, I reserve the right to try, no matter how weak you may think I am. You wouldn't have abandoned any of your other friends, and I want the same courtesy extended to me next time. Is that so much to ask?"

"Of course not," Ichigo quickly agreed, glad that he didn't have to apologize. "But you live in Hueco Mundo, Nel. How would I even call you if I did need your help?"

Nel grinned at him. "I taught myself how to use Garganta just so I could see you whenever I want, Ichigo. But now that I know you're powerless, as your friend, I wouldn't feel right leaving you defenseless here. What would you do if a dangerous Hollow showed up?"

"Run, I guess," Ichigo said uncomfortably, starting to sense where this was going.

"That simply wouldn't do. In your state, you couldn't run anywhere near fast enough to escape a hungry Hollow. It seems I have no choice, Ichigo. We'll have to stay here and protect you."

"What? No!" Ichigo protested. Then he realized she'd said "we'll" and not "I'll", and soon noticed Pesche and Dondochakka leering at him from behind a nearby bush. "OH HELL NO!"

Nel giggled and gave him a bone-crushing hug. "Don't worry, Ichigo! You don't have to concern yourself about abandoning me again, because I'll never let you go!"

"No, dammit, that's not what I meant!" Ichigo shouted, trying in vain to fight her off. "Nel, you can't just-!"

BOOMF!

Ichigo gaped as he suddenly got a face full of pink smoke, accompanied by a huge drop in Nel's Reiryoku that even he could sense in his diminished state. He was not at all surprised to soon find himself holding Nel's child form, who immediately looked around, quite confused, until she noticed him. "ITSYGO!" she shrieked happily, launching herself at his face and planting a very wet kiss on his lips. "Nel missed you SOOO much!"

Ichigo was a little too traumatized to do more than wipe kiddie drool from his mouth. But he soon became aware of the fact that Nel had buried her face in his chest and was sobbing loudly (not to mention doing an excellent job of soaking his shirt). "Nel...? What's wrong?"

"Don't ever leave Nel again, Itsygo!" she wailed. "Nel was so scared you would die, and then Nel would never see you again!"

Ichigo sighed and hugged her tightly, patting her head. "Don't cry, Nel. I'm sorry I worried you, and I won't leave you. We'll always be friends."

Nel sniffled loudly and grinned. "Good! Cuz if you tried to leave, Nel would hunt you down and castrate you!"

Ichigo immediately put her down, dragged Pesche and Dondochakka out from behind the bush, and gave each one a stiff punch to the head. "What the hell did I say about teaching her that crap?"

"You know, you're not really in any position to be mad at us about what we taught her," Pesche pointed out. "Aren't you the one teaching her to lash out blindly with anger at her own beloved brothers?"

"You're not MY damn brothers!" Ichigo snapped, punching him again. "Wait, you're not even hers! We covered all of this last time!"

Pesche cleared his throat. "The fact remains that wherever she goes, we go. After all, it's not as if you have the power to boss us around anymore."

Ichigo blinked slowly, realizing that Pesche was right. His punch hadn't even left a mark on the Arrancar's mask. "Fine," he growled, tucking Nel under one arm. "But there's no way you're staying in my house. I'd never be able to explain either of you two to my family."

"That is no problem at all. We will arrange lodging at Urahara Shop. We leave you in Nel-chan's hands, Ichigo."

"Don't you mean you leave her in my hands?"

"Of course not. What could you possibly manage to do in this useless state? She'll be the one looking after you." Pesche vanished with Dondochakka before Ichigo could protest (or hit them again).

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><p>Ichigo knew better than to try returning to class with Nel: while only his friends and those few people who were spiritually aware would be able to see or detect her, he wanted to avoid all the questions her presence would invite, at least for the time being. He decided to leave school immediately, heading for a nearby park where Karin sometimes played soccer with her friends. Ichigo let Nel play there until he was sure it was late enough for his sisters and father to be at home.<p>

Still, Ichigo was a little worried as they neared his house. At the very least, he knew his father and Karin would be able to see Nel, and Yuzu might get a blurry image at best. Obviously, he would need to offer some explanation as to who Nel was and why she would be staying with them. But after denying to Karin that he was a Shinigami, Ichigo didn't want to backtrack and admit he'd been lying, nor that he'd needed Nel to save his life (and would especially need her now that his powers were gone). If that was the only way they would accept her, however, he was prepared to tell them the whole truth. At least, he hoped he was.

The moment they entered the house, Yuzu ran up with her usual warm smile to greet him. She stopped short when she noticed Nel clinging to his hand anxiously. "Onii-chan, you should have called and told me you were bringing someone!" she scolded lightly. "You know I have to set an extra place for dinner!"

"Uh, sorry about that, Yuzu," Ichigo murmured, a little startled that she could see Nel so easily.

Yuzu sighed and shook her head. "Well, welcome home, anyway," she said, giving him a quick hug. Then she knelt down and smiled at Nel. "Hi, I'm Yuzu, Ichigo's sister. What's your name?"

Nel blinked and took a deep breath, obviously preparing to say her full name (which could be a mouthful even for her), so Ichigo cut her off for simplicity's sake. "This is my friend, Nel."

"Welcome to our home, Nel-chan!" Yuzu said excitedly, giving her a big hug.

Nel was a little startled, but hesitantly returned the hug after a few seconds. "Th-Thank you..."

"Come in, come in!" Yuzu seized both of their arms and practically dragged them into the kitchen. Karin was already seated at the table and flipping through a magazine, while their father was peeking into a pot on the stove, clearly trying to sneak a taste before dinner.

Yuzu ran over and smacked her father's hand with a wooden spoon that she'd seemed to produce from thin air. "Stop that, otou-san! We have a guest!"

Karin looked up at that, her eyes narrowing suspiciously as she stared directly at Nel, who flinched and hid behind Ichigo's leg. "She doesn't look much like one of your usual friends, Ichi-nii."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ichigo asked with a frown.

"Exactly what it sounded like," Karin replied sharply. "Especially if even Yuzu can see her."

"Your sister is exactly right, Ichigo," his father proclaimed, walking over to them and peering closely at Nel. "Yes, she's definitely not like any other guest you've brought home."

Ichigo tried to find a way to silently signal his father to back off, but of course all signs were ignored.

"She's much cuter than any friend you've ever had!" his father shouted, grabbing Nel and giving her a huge hug. "Even cuter than Rukia-chan and Orihime-chan combined!"

Ichigo could only stare helplessly as Nel continued to suffer through his father's bear hug. He was still staring when Karin poked him hard in the arm.

"She's a Hollow, isn't she?" Karin demanded.

Everyone in the room froze.

"Of course she isn't, Karin-chan!" Yuzu cried, looking very upset. "How could you say something so cruel to our guest?"

Karin ignored her twin sister, staring straight at Ichigo. "You can make up whatever story you want for them, but unless you tell me why I should trust a Hollow after what they did to us, I'm not staying in this house with her another minute!"

Ichigo knew for a fact that his sisters still didn't know their mother had been killed by a Hollow. Unfortunately, they'd been attacked by plenty of Hollows since then, which gave them more than enough reason to believe all Hollows were monsters. He could understand why Karin was so upset, but he'd made a promise to Nel, and he'd already broken it once.

"Okay, fine. Nel is a Hollow," Ichigo admitted, "but she isn't bad like the others you've seen. She and her brothers helped me out a lot, and she even saved my life. That's why we're friends."

Yuzu looked surprised, but more relieved than anything else. Apparently she had noticed that Nel wasn't human, and just hadn't wanted to seem rude by asking about it.

"...I believe you," Karin said after a moment. "I know you wouldn't lie about something like that." She closed her eyes and shook her head. "But it's not enough for me. Can you give me any other reason why I should trust her?"

Ichigo bit his lip, wondering what he should do. The only other option he could think of was to tell the whole truth: that he'd lost his powers and needed Nel to protect him.

Amazingly, his father came to the rescue. "Ichigo!" he shouted, visibly angry. "I think it's time you stopped acting like a child. If you're a man, face your sisters proudly and tell them the whole truth!"

Ichigo's eyes widened in alarm. "But-!"

"You've slacked off in your training, haven't you! Grown so weak that you must depend on this exceptionally powerful Hollow for your protection! It's shameful, but necessary, so there's no need to hide it any longer! Your sisters will forgive this offense if you only admit to it!"

Karin stared at him shock, and, far worse in Ichigo's eyes, concern. "Is that true, Ichi-nii? She's protecting you from other Hollows?"

"No, it's not," Ichigo said. "She's protecting all of us from other Hollows, not just me. Right, Nel?"

Nel nodded eagerly. "Itsygo is Nel's bestest friend. Itsygo protected Nel, so Nel wants to protect Itsygo and his family no matter what!"

"If you want, I can call Inoue," Ichigo offered. "She knows Nel and would vouch for her."

Karin was silent for a long moment. "I'll call her," she decided. "Yuzu, set three extra places for dinner."

"More guests? But I'm not sure if I made enough curry!" Yuzu wailed, wringing her hands anxiously.

"That's no problem." Karin aimed a glare at her father. "You. Go get more food."

Ichigo watched his father flee the house, his exit soon accompanied by the loud screech of tires. "Are you really okay with this, Karin?" he asked.

"If she's keeping us safe, then I have no issue with her staying here. But I'm checking her references first."

Ten minutes later, Ichigo found out what Karin meant, when he opened his front door to find two of his friends there. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Karin-chan called and invited us over for dinner," Orihime explained.

"Actually, she threatened me," Sado added, "but I decided that she meant to invite me."

"She said that Nel-chan was here?" Orihime chimed in eagerly, peering over Ichigo's shoulder.

"Yeah, um... Nel's going to be staying with us for a while," Ichigo replied, inviting them in. "To protect us. Since I can't anymore."

"Good," Sado replied, surprising Ichigo. "Then I don't have to ask you to let me move in."

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><p>Dinner went surprisingly well. Once Karin saw how comfortable Orihime and Sado were around Nel, she had no further concerns, and even offered to share Yuzu's bed so Nel could have hers. Predictably, she was a little shocked when Nel insisted on sleeping with Ichigo (who had expected as much, and was just glad that Nel wouldn't take up much room).<p>

Ichigo was a little surprised at how easily his friends had accepted the idea of Nel living with him, though. He'd thought Sado would at least be offended over Nel replacing him as Ichigo's backup, but Sado hadn't said a word against it. Orihime had been all for the idea as well, and had even tried to heal Nel's head injury, hoping it would finally stabilize her Reiryoku. She only managed to close up the crack in Nel's Hollow skull, and Nel claimed she felt better, but Ichigo suspected she was just trying to make Orihime feel better.

The moment the company was gone, however, Yuzu laid down the law. "Nel-chan, you're not taking a single step into anyone's bedroom until you've had a bath! I didn't say anything before because you're so cute and it would have been rude, but you're absolutely filthy! You've got a whole layer of grime and sand on you! Next time you play in a sandbox, you really should wash up right after!"

Nel only made things worse by turning to Ichigo and asking, "Itsygo, what's a bath?"

"If you have to ask, you need one," Ichigo said firmly. "Just go with Yuzu, she'll show you. It's like playing in sand, only with water and soap."

"Oh, okay." Nel blinked. "Wait, what's soap?"

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><p><em>Ten minutes later, in the bathroom...<em>

Karin gave a final tug and scowled. "Alright, I'm convinced: the skull doesn't come off. Just shampoo what you can reach, Yuzu."

"I was so sure it was a hat," Yuzu murmured, shaking her head. "Nel-chan, how do you normally wash your hair?"

Nel gaped at her. "You can wash that, too?"

Yuzu and Karin traded concerned looks.

* * *

><p>Nel showed up dressed for bed in some of Yuzu's old pajamas, her skin still pink from the thorough scrubbing Yuzu had given her. Ichigo had to admit he felt a lot better about Nel sleeping in his bed now that she was clean.<p>

Instead of going straight to bed, however, Nel surprised him yet again. "I hafta keep in shape if I'm gonna protect you, Itsygo!" she said while jogging in circles around his bedroom.

Ichigo was genuinely touched by her devotion, and wondered how he could have ever doubted her. "Nel, sorry for not saying it earlier, but I'm really glad you're here, and thanks for looking out for me."

Nel beamed at him. "We're friends, Itsygo, so you don't hafta say it, silly! Nel already knows!"

Suddenly, there was a light tap at Ichigo's window, and he jumped up quickly to let in the black cat that had been staring at him. "Yoruichi-san! You haven't been stuck out there this whole time, have you?"

The cat rolled its eyes as it leaped lightly onto his bed. "Don't be silly, Ichigo. I would have come with your friends if that were the case. I just got here, and I'm only staying long enough to give you this." She tossed a cellphone at him. "Careful with it, Kisuke will charge you an arm and a leg if you break it. It's really so Nel can stay in touch with her brothers, but I figure you won't lose it."

Nel stared at the cat in awe. "Wow..."

"You don't have talking cats in Hueco Mundo?" Ichigo asked.

"Sure, but Nel's never seen one that could hold things without hands!"

Ichigo blinked. "Hey, wait. How DID you carry and throw a cellphone without any hands?"

Yoruichi smirked. "You're a hundred years too early to be asking me questions like that, Ichigo," she replied before jumping back out of the window.

Ichigo frowned and closed the window. "Did you see her tail move, Nel?"

Nel shook her head. "Nope."

"Damn. Well, ready to go to bed?"

"Not just yet!" Nel immediately dropped to the floor, quickly doing several sets of what had to be the cutest sit-ups Ichigo had ever seen, before announcing that she was done. Afterward, they went to bed, though it was some time before Ichigo fell asleep. Even with the comforting weight of Nel's small body resting on his chest, he wondered if things would really be okay. Trouble had a way of seeking him out, and even if Nel was fine with putting herself in harm's way to protect him, Ichigo had never been the type to allow that for very long.

* * *

><p>Several hours later, Ichigo woke up and realized that living with Nel would indeed cause some problems. The most obvious of which was currently wrapped around him, with one long, shapely leg draped over his waist, and a generous bust that was nearly suffocating him. Ichigo did his best to pry Nel's hands away from the back of his head, with little success. Strong as he was for a human, Nel was far stronger in her adult form, even in her sleep. It took several minutes for Ichigo to secure himself some breathing room, only to have it immediately taken away when Nel stirred, grabbed his head, and stuffed it back into her bosom. Ichigo was vaguely certain he heard her murmur something, but had no time to wonder what it was as there was a knock at his bedroom door.<p>

Ichigo froze in horror, realizing exactly who it was and what she would soon see.

"Onii-chan, it's time to get up!" Yuzu sang as she opened the door and poked her head in.

Ichigo could see nothing but the now tightly stretched material of Nel's borrowed pajamas, but he was pretty certain how Yuzu would react to the sight, and was soon proven right.

"Otou-san!" Yuzu cried as she ran from the room. "Onii-chan has a girl in his bed!"

This, amazingly enough, was what finally woke Nel up. She released Ichigo at once and sat up, looking around anxiously, as if she expected to see someone else in the room. She then looked down at Ichigo, who still looked particularly crushed and air-deprived. "Ichigo, did you not sleep well?"

Ichigo wanted to glare at her, but instead settled for asking, "You changed in your sleep. Does that happen often?"

"No, it never has." Her face lit up. "I must remember to thank Inoue-san for healing me!" She leaped out of the bed and ran from the room.

Ichigo thought about trying to stop her, as she was still wearing pajamas, but was still suffering the effects of Nel's embrace. At any rate, he soon forgot about that once his father burst into the room, took one look at Ichigo, and announced to the entire house his pride at Ichigo finding himself a genuine dominatrix.

Nel returned to Ichigo's bedroom only a few minutes later, dragging with her a clearly startled Orihime, who was still in her own pajamas. "Look, Inoue-san!" Nel said excitedly, pointing at Ichigo. "Doesn't he look nice and safe now that I'm protecting him?"

Orihime looked at Ichigo, summoned her Shun Shun Rikka to heal him without being asked, and pasted a bright smile on her face. "Yes, Nel-san, Kurosaki-kun looks very safe. He's so lucky to have you staying with him."

Nel beamed at her.

Ichigo sort of twitched, and wondered how bad a friend he would be considered if he were to anonymously tip off the Gotei 13 that there was an Espada-class Arrancar in Karakura Town...

* * *

><p><strong>Continued in Chapter 2: Secret<strong>

To make up for Ichigo forbidding Nel from going to school with him, Orihime shares a certain secret with her.

* * *

><p><strong>Endnotes:<strong>

Before anyone asks why Ichigo can see Nel when his powers are gone, consider this. Ichigo was once so powerful that he caused his friends (and probably his family, to some degree) to manifest or increase their own spiritual awareness. And that was at the start of the series, before he entered the Soul Society. Now, even that amount of power should have been nowhere near Espada levels at any point, considering how much effort Ichigo had to put into defeating even a former Espada like Dordoni. So when I suggest that Nel, as a former Espada, is powerful enough to "force" Ichigo to recognize her presence even in his weakened state (especially in that state, in fact), trust me, it's entirely within the realm of possibility. Anyway, I doubt anyone could actually ignore her, once they've met her properly.

To make a long story short, I suspect this storyline will have next to nothing to do with the current manga storyline, other than Nel's return itself. Well, maybe one or two things, but nothing done on purpose.


	2. Secret

Notes: There was a time when I disliked Fullbringers (or at least, the idea of characters who were supposedly something else, before then being revealed to have been Fullbringers all along) to the point where I didn't think I'd ever write anything involving them. Hopefully, it doesn't show.

* * *

><p><strong>Remnant<strong>

**A Bleach Fanfic by**

**Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)**

**Chapter 2: Secret**

* * *

><p>Ichigo had been expecting some problems to arise from Nel living with him, but he had figured most of them would be centered around explaining who she was to people who could see her. He had not counted on one of them being the terms of exactly how Nel would protect him, or more precisely, how long she was expected to. Ichigo had figured that Nel would merely wait at home while he went to school. After all, his friends were there, and he generally ran into one or more of them along the way, so they could easily provide protection for him until he returned home. Nel, however, had insisted on being with Ichigo at all times, and had gotten very upset when Ichigo shot down her plans to go to school with him.<p>

"Nel, you're not going to school with me," Ichigo said for the sixth time as he picked up his schoolbag.

"But I hafta protect you, Itsygo!" Nel whined, clinging to his back. "Nel promised!"

Ichigo sighed as he headed for the door, thoroughly glad she'd reverted back to her child form during breakfast. "I appreciate that, but I'll be perfectly safe at school. My other friends are there, remember? So you don't have to worry about Hollows getting me there."

"But Nel wants to be with Itsygo always!"

"You're not going to school with me, and that's final. Besides, wouldn't you rather spend the day with your brothers?"

"Nel can see them anytime!" She narrowed her eyes. "If you don't let me go with you, then Nel will send them instead!"

Ichigo snorted. "Then I'll tell Chad and Ishida to treat them like enemies."

Nel gasped in outrage. "You wouldn't!"

"I would, and I probably don't even have to. Those two are some of the freakiest-looking Hollows I've ever seen. You better be glad you're so cute, it's proof that you're not actually related to them."

"Flattery won't work on me! Nel is still going with you!"

Ichigo knew it was now pretty much impossible for him to physically prevent Nel from following him: without his Shinigami powers, there was no way he could even temporarily stun her long enough to escape. And even assuming he could, he was fairly certain that Nel's brothers would sense it and come running. His best hope was to distract Nel somehow, and even then his chances weren't so good. Nel had already proven that she was serious about protecting him, and she wouldn't be much of a friend or a protector if she could be swayed so easily.

Oddly enough, Ichigo's rescue cam from a truly unexpected source.

"You really aren't being very considerate of Nel-chan's feelings, Kurosaki-kun," Orihime pointed out. "She's only here because she wants to keep you safe. Even if that inconveniences you, you should be willing to compromise."

Ichigo felt this was a little unfair. For one thing, Orihime was only there in the first place because Nel had dragged her out of her own bed on a whim, and first thing in the morning, no less. Secondly, the more passionate Orihime was about the something, the less common sense was typically involved. Third, it was a bit difficult to take someone seriously when they were still in their pajamas (which, again, was entirely Nel's fault).

"But I really can't take Nel with me," Ichigo explained. "Too many people around town have been exposed to Hollows. There's a chance any of them could see her, and I wouldn't be able to convince every last one that she's just a little girl."

"You wouldn't have to. Even with her Hollow skull, Nel still looks more like a human girl than anything else. So long as she wasn't shooting Cero out of her mouth at the time, I doubt most people would think she wasn't human. And considering that even if she did do that, she'd be saving someone, I doubt they'd make trouble for her. All you would really need to explain is why you're taking a child to high school."

Ichigo frowned. "But-"

"Is it really so much to ask, Kurosaki-kun? Nel-chan is only doing this because she cares for you. Don't you think she's worth a little trouble?"

Sighing, Ichigo finally gave in. "Okay, fine. But I'll have to arrange it at school first so no one thinks I'm a teenage father."

Orihime turned bright red. "Y-Yes, that would be a good idea."

"So for today, Nel, you still have to stay home," Ichigo insisted, looking over his shoulder at her. "But I promise you can come to school with me after that, okay?"

Nel pouted but nodded. "Okay, Itsygo," she sighed, dropping to the ground.

Orihime cleared her throat. "Wait, Nel-chan. Why don't I stay with you today? You're still new here, and I'm sure you have many questions I could answer."

"But you'll miss school!" Ichigo pointed out, a little enviously.

"I'll explain things when I go back tomorrow," Orihime assured him. "We can't just leave Nel-chan all alone for the entire day. She'll get bored and lonely. In fact, maybe we could go and visit her brothers at Urahara-san's shop."

Nel did seem a little happier with Orihime's suggestion, so Ichigo decided to let it go. "I guess it's okay," he muttered. "But don't let him trick either of you into buying any of his useless crap. Nel doesn't have any money, anyway."

"What's money?" Nel asked at once.

"That's one of the things you can ask her," Ichigo suggested as he ducked out of the door and broke into a run.

Nel immediately turned to Orihime and repeated, "What's money?"

"You can earn it by working for someone. It's what we use to buy things, like food and clothes. In fact..." Orihime dug into her pocket and pulled out some loose change as she knelt down in front of Nel. "You volunteered to stay here, but considering you'll be protecting a whole family, you should be getting paid. This isn't much, but I don't keep much money in my pajamas."

Nel frowned at the money in Orihime's extended hand. "Couldn't Nel have something else? Like food or toys?"

Orihime's eyes lit up. "Oh, a toy! Yes, that would be perfect! We could go and get you one today!" She paused and blushed. "Only, I should go home and get changed first. I have some toys there, so maybe you can get an idea of one you'd like me to buy you."

"But Nel isn't protecting you," Nel pointed out. "You shouldn't be the one paying Nel, should you?"

Orihime smiled. "You can consider it a gift from a friend, if you want. We are friends, aren't we, Nel-chan?"

Nel nodded. "Sure. You're Nel's second favorite human, after Itsygo."

"In that case, you should get him to buy you one, too." Orihime started to say something else, then smiled warmly, her eyes growing damp. "I'm really, really glad that you're here with us, Nel-chan."

Nel blinked as Orihime leaned forward to hug her tightly. She wasn't exactly a stranger to hugs, and she didn't mind them, but she wasn't really sure why Orihime felt the need to hug her just then. Nel strongly suspected that she was missing something, but decided not to worry about it. Orihime was nice, and she was a friend. If she liked hugging, there was nothing wrong with that.

* * *

><p>Orihime did indeed have a lot of toys. She had at least two in practically every room, including the bathroom and the kitchen. Most of these were various stuffed animals, which Nel liked, but still felt were largely for younger children. Orihime assured her that this wasn't necessarily true, but Nel was starting to suspect that Orihime, while nice, was not exactly normal. For one thing, she talked to a picture of her dead brother as if he were sitting right there. That in itself was not too odd: Ichigo's father had done the same thing by introducing Nel to a huge poster of his dead wife. The only difference was that there were plenty of people in the Kurosaki home that would put a stop to it, but Orihime had no one. For some reason, the idea of Orihime (or anyone, for that matter) living alone did not seem healthy to Nel. She was even considering the idea of having her brothers move in with Orihime, just so she wouldn't be alone (Orihime actually would have welcomed this suggestion, though not for any of the expected reasons).<p>

But as Nel opened her mouth to suggest this, she noticed something very odd. "Someone is here."

Orihime blinked slowly, but did not exactly seem surprised. "Someone? Who, Nel-chan?"

"Nel doesn't know," Nel admitted. "But Nel senses someone. Someone familiar."

"An enemy? Should I be worried?"

"Nel doesn't know," Nel repeated, frowning. "Maybe if Nel concentrates, Nel can figure it out."

"Would it be easier in your adult form?" Orihime asked.

"It should be, but Nel doesn't think so this time. Whoever it is, Nel was in this form when Nel last felt their presence."

Orihime said nothing for a long moment. Finally, she bit her lip. "Nel-chan, I have a secret. A big one. I haven't told anyone else about it. I want to tell you, because we're friends, and because I think you might be able to help me with it."

"How big is this secret?" Nel asked, more curious than worried.

"You can't even tell Kurosaki-kun."

Nel frowned, instantly not liking that. "Maybe you shouldn't tell me, then. Nel doesn't want to keep a secret from Itsygo."

"I can understand why you wouldn't want to," Orihime admitted. "But you may feel differently if I show it to you. I'm almost positive you will."

"What if you show me and Nel tells him, anyway?"

Orihime smiled. "I don't think you could ever betray a friend that way, Nel-chan. Even if you don't agree with what I'm doing, it would only mean that you don't have to help me with it. I doubt I can make any further progress without your help, anyway."

Nel wasn't sure how she felt about it. She didn't want to hide anything from Ichigo, but at the same time, she could tell that this secret was very important to Orihime. Still, she could not imagine that Orihime would ever do anything to purposely hurt Ichigo, and Nel was growing more and more certain that the secret had to do with the familiar presence she was sensing. At the very least, she wanted to be sure that it wasn't an enemy that she needed to protect Ichigo's family from.

"Okay, show me," Nel decided. "Nel will decide what to do after."

Orihime sighed in relief and went into her bedroom. She emerged a moment later, holding a small jewelry box in her hands. Without a word, she opened it and held it out to Nel.

For her part, Nel wasn't sure what she expected to see. At first, she wasn't even sure what she was looking at. But as she hesitantly reached out and laid a finger on the object in the box, recognition washed over her. Nel knew at once what she was touching, that this was what she had sensed, and why Orihime had kept it a secret from Ichigo.

And why she would as well.

* * *

><p>Ichigo found that it was surprisingly easy to make arrangements for Nel at his school between classes. Apparently he was not even the first high school student to request permission to bring a child to school, although he was one of the few that was not involved in a teen pregnancy. Orihime had been right: Ichigo was able to come up with a convincing cover story on his own. He simply told anyone who asked that his family had adopted a child, and that she had grown very attached to him. This earned him quite a few sappy looks, but Ichigo did his best to ignore them. He imagined it would only get worse once he actually had Nel with him.<p>

The only real trouble came when Orihime's best friend cornered him at lunch and demanded to know where he was hiding her.

Ichigo was both annoyed and impressed that Arisawa Tatsuki had correctly figured that he was involved, though part of him felt this was totally unfair. It wasn't as if he had asked Nel to come visit, and although he had been the one to involve Orihime, she hadn't complained about it once. On the other hand, he couldn't ever recall a time when Orihime had complained about doing him a favor, so she probably wouldn't have refused even if she'd wanted to. Something about that bothered him, and he made a mental note to ask her about it later.

"I haven't done anything with Inoue," Ichigo replied truthfully. Noticing that Tatsuki was still glaring at him suspiciously, he sighed and continued. "But she was at my house, last time I checked."

Naturally, this did nothing to lessen Tatsuki's hostility. "What would she be doing there so early in the morning?"

Ichigo paused, knowing he could not just tell her everything. At the same time, if he was going to lie to her, at the very least, Tatsuki deserved a more informed version of the lie he was telling everyone else. "My family and I are adopting a little girl. Inoue volunteered to stay over this morning and look after her while I made arrangements here. I'm going to start bringing her to school with me."

Tatsuki instantly relaxed, being familiar enough with Ichigo's family history that this sounded genuine. "Oh. She's too young to go to school with Karin and Yuzu?"

"Yeah." Honestly, Ichigo had no idea how old Nel actually was in either form, but he was pretty sure that anyone who didn't know the difference between saliva and vomit required pretty regular supervision. "Well, the problem isn't so much her age as her mindset. She got really upset when I wouldn't take her with me this morning. But she likes Inoue, so we figured that was our only other option. Oh, and you're supposed to get Inoue's assignments for her."

Tatsuki scowled at him. "Well, I guess I can't blame you for depending on Orihime. I'd be surprised if a kid didn't adore her. But I still feel like you stuck her with a howling kid and ran off."

"Nel wasn't howling," Ichigo protested. "She was just... moody. She doesn't like being away from me, that's all."

"So do I get to meet this mysterious Nel?"

Ichigo shrugged. "Sure, I guess. Just don't mention her hat."

Tatsuki blinked. "What?"

"Her hat. She never takes it off. Looks like a skull."

Tatsuki stared at him. "Wait, seriously?"

"Totally. She acts like it's part of her head, so don't try to take it off."

"Now I really want to meet this kid."

* * *

><p>Ishida Uryū had detention.<p>

There were several things wrong with this.

For starters, Ishida Uryū simply didn't get detention. In his world, detention was something that happened to everyone else. Second, he was quite certain he had done nothing to deserve detention. He was probably the only student that regularly received well-wishing cards from teachers on his birthday, for crying out loud.

There had to be a mistake.

And there was. Unfortunately, it had been made by Uryū, in assuming that being a well-mannered and justice-seeking individual should be rewarded with a fairly normal and straightforward life. He tended to forget that he was technically a friend of Kurosaki Ichigo, which of course negated any sort of expected normalcy.

That, and when he saw the "teacher" presiding over detention that day, Uryū realized the unfortunate truth: someone Up There definitely hated him. Nothing else could quite explain the unnaturally thin man with the bug-like face leering at him excitedly. Really, Uryū was uncertain what was worse: that Urahara Kisuke was possibly now in the business of selling gigai to Arrancar, or that someone had been foolish enough to believe that Guatiche Pesche should be left in charge of delinquent high school students.

It truly was a mad, mad world.

* * *

><p>No one could deny that Urahara Kisuke was a genius. There was, however, some standing concern as to the way in which he chose to apply his elevated intelligence. Several people had questioned this repeatedly, but none more so than the black cat who served as his sometime companion.<p>

Currently, the black cat was lounging on a particularly comfortable spot on the front porch of Kisuke's shop. There was plenty of shade from the sun, and more importantly, she didn't have to deal with the two odd Arrancar that Kisuke had taken in. As near as she could tell, they kept trying to capture her and force her to become Nel's pet. So far, she had only clawed them when they got too close, but she was seriously considering shifting to her human form and beating some sense into them. Fortunately, Kisuke had kept them occupied elsewhere for much of the day, but she had no intention of being caught unaware again.

Although she was a bit surprised when Orihime and Nel walked up to the store hand in hand. The black cat immediately tensed up, searching for any sign of Nel's brothers tagging along, but relaxed upon finding none. That put her in such a good mood that she even allowed Orihime to pet her.

The black cat noticed at once that something was different about Nel. She was strangely subdued, saying nothing and showing no interest in the cat beyond a simple glance. Nel even turned down the chance to go inside and do some shopping, preferring instead to stay out on the porch while Orihime went in and said hello.

"What's with you, kid?" the black cat asked, genuinely curious.

"Did you ever have a friend that asked you to do something bad, Yoruichi-san?" Nel murmured.

Yoruichi briefly recalled the hundreds of times one of Kisuke's ideas had landed them in hot water. She also briefly recalled just as many times when her ideas had done the same thing. "Sure. But then I am an authority on doing bad things, so maybe you want to rephrase that."

Nel tried again. "Somone asked me to do something. It's really important, but if I do it, I might get in trouble."

"What happens if you don't do it?"

"Nothing, I guess."

"In that case, I have two suggestions." The cat stood up, stretched lazily, and then plopped itself in Nel's lap. "Put it out of your mind, and pet the pretty kitty. It's not great advice, but you can't possibly get in trouble for it. Also, it makes it so I don't have to murder your stupid brothers."

Nel obediently stroked the cat, and while she did not seem any happier, she also did not seem quite as stressed as she had before.

Yoruichi was starting to feel a bit concerned, however. The Nel she had met before had been odd, for an Arrancar. But maybe that was why Ichigo trusted her.

Nel was different now, and possibly not in a good way.

She now had not one, but two distinct sets of Reiryoku. It was as if she were suddenly two different Hollows at once. Even taking her head injury into consideration, this made no sense. Based on what Kisuke had told Yoruichi, Nel's Reiryoku never really changed as she shifted from child to adult. It was just that her current form determined how much of it she had access to. This was, in fact, somewhat similar to Yoruichi's own situation, though she could trigger her shifts at will, while Nel seemed to still be getting the hang of that. Perhaps the only real comfort was that the second, new Reiryoku was much smaller than Nel's original one, and almost nonexistent. There was a chance it might fade away on its own, whatever it was. But Nel was a young, strong Hollow, so it was far more likely that the second Reiryoku would only grow stronger as she did. Until Yoruichi could determine exactly what the source was, she could not say whether that was good or bad.

Just then, Orihime emerged from the shop, having finished her business. "Nel-chan, if we hurry, we can meet up with Kurosaki-kun as he leaves school."

"Okay." Nel carefully lifted the cat out of her lap, giving it one final scratch behind the ears. "Thanks for the advice, Yoruichi-san. It really helped."

"Did it?" Yoruichi asked. "I must be more awesome than even I realized."

* * *

><p>The magenta-haired girl woke up with a start, and for a brief moment, had no idea where she was.<p>

A quick glance around rewarded her with her information that was both familiar and vague at the same time.

She was in the passenger seat of car. Next to her was Jackie, her best friend and probably the person she trusted most in the world. They were parked outside of a high school for reasons unknown to her at the moment. She felt sure that they were running from something or someone. On second thought, it was probably just her, and not Jackie. She couldn't ever recall Jackie being afraid of anything, except what might happen to her best friend. That was why they were still friends in the first place. No one else cared, or at least not enough.

"Jackie?" the girl murmured uncertainly.

"What is, Riruka?" Jackie replied, not taking her eyes off of the school.

The girl blinked, feeling a bit more comfortable. Riruka. It sounded like her name. Or at least it sounded familiar enough that she didn't question it was her name at all. "Um... why are we here again?"

Jackie did not seem surprised that Riruka was confused. She seemed to be expecting it, really. "Yukio gave us a car. Remember why?"

"No."

"You wanted to get away. You said you wanted to find someone."

"Kurosaki... Ichigo," Riruka murmured. She had no idea where the name had come from, but saying it gave her a feeling of relief and immeasurable hope. Only she had no idea why. "But why?"

"Tsukishima," Jackie said simply, and then it was as if someone turned on the light in Riruka's brain. The memories seemed to pop into her head and fall perfectly into place at the mere mention of the man.

Tsukishima had been her first crush. If she was honest with herself, he was the only man she'd ever loved. But he hadn't felt the same. She was too young, he'd always said, and he thought of her more like a cute little sister. The words had hurt, but Riruka had treasured them, anyway. They were proof of his feelings for her, and she would sooner cut off her own arm than discard them. In his kindness, Tsukishima had introduced her to a friend of his, one he hoped would be the love of her life. Unfortunately, Shishigawara Moe was about as far away from Tsukishima as a girl could get. He was loud, rude, hotheaded, and above all, not the least bit attractive to Riruka. But because Tsukishima insisted, she went out with him.

They'd hit it off at once. There was still plenty that Riruka couldn't stand about Moe, but it hadn't mattered then. He was sweet to her, bought her cute things, and told anyone who would listen that they were going to get married and make an army of pretty babies.

Things turned sour the first time Moe caught her talking to Jackie. He hadn't liked how close they were, suspected Riruka of cheating on him, and told her then and there that Jackie was no longer part of her life. Riruka had refused, and Moe had hit her. Riruka vaguely remembered shouting and furniture being thrown, and the next time she saw Moe, he was sporting a black eye and trying to hit Jackie with a brick. He got another black eye to match the first for his troubles.

It had turned so ugly, and so fast. It was hard to believe Tsukishima had ever suggested it. But even now, he was convinced that Moe would have a change of heart. Until that happened, however, he suggested that Riruka distance herself from Moe, and stay near someone that could be trusted to protect her. That person was Kurosaki Ichigo, a good friend of Tsukishima's.

And he went to the high school in front of her, she realized with a start. Riruka began to get out of the car, but Jackie grabbed her arm.

"Wait."

Ichigo had just walked out of the school gates, but he was not alone. There was an attractive girl with orange hair walking with him, and a small girl clutching Ichigo's back like a very large leech.

Riruka could see at once that the girl was a Hollow. By the way Jackie was frowning, she could see it, too. "What do we do, Jackie?"

"Well, we're not going anywhere near him while he's got that thing with him. We'll approach him when he's alone. Or at least when it isn't around him."

"And then he'll save me?"

Jackie looked at her and smiled, one of her tiny ones that she reserved only for Riruka. "Yes. Then he'll save you, Riruka."

* * *

><p>Orihime decided to go home alone, claiming that Nel would probably be sick of her after a whole day, and that Nel should be allowed to spend the rest of the day alone with Ichigo.<p>

Even Ichigo found this excuse to be flimsy, but Orihime insisted, and Nel eventually agreed with her, so they let Orihime go. He was used to her being slightly weird at times, and figured this was no exception.

"So did you have fun with Inoue, Nel?" Ichigo asked as he headed home with Nel still on his back.

"Yeah," Nel answered. "She's funny and nice. I like her."

"Most people do," Ichigo agreed, having expected as much. "So what did you guys do all day?"

"We went to her house and she showed me her toys. She wanted to get me one, but I told her not to. I don't think I deserve one yet."

"If it's a gift from a friend, you don't have to deserve it, Nel. Some people just appreciate the friendship, you know?"

"I know. But I wouldn't feel right. I can't explain it."

"Fair enough," Ichigo allowed. "What else did you do?"

"We went back to Urahara's shop. Yoruichi-san let me pet her."

Ichigo started to ask if she were still a cat at the time, then decided maybe he didn't want to know. "Did you see your, um, brothers?"

"No, they weren't home. They left me a note, though. They said something about getting jobs."

"What? Them? Did they open up a haunted house near here? I don't see those two getting paid for anything else."

"They're very resourceful," Nel insisted, giving his hair a sharp tug.

Ichigo snorted, and less than a mile away, a hideously ugly man failing spectacularly at being an ice cream seller drove his truck down a street that was miraculously empty of children. There had never been more kids refusing to go outside in the history of Karakura Town.

"Well, I'm glad you had fun," Ichigo said. "And I've got good news: you can come to school with me starting tomorrow, but I'm pretty sure you'll be bored."

"I'm never bored when I'm with you, Itsygo. I'll be fine."

Ichigo was about to suggest that she ask to borrow one of Karin's handheld video games to keep her occupied when a peculiar sensation came over him. He could not say why, exactly, but suddenly he felt... safe. It wasn't anything that Nel had done, and nothing had changed that he could see. All the same, he felt the need to ask. "Hey, Nel. Did you do something just now?"

"Like what, Itsygo?" Nel asked.

"I don't know, just... anything?"

"Nope. Why?"

"Nothing. I just thought I felt... something. Forget it."

Nel stared at the back of his head curiously. "But it's a good feeling, right?" she asked, hauling herself up on his shoulder. "Like walking with a really good friend?"

Ichigo chuckled and reached up to tweak her nose. "Don't be silly, Nel. I am walking with a really good friend."

Nel grinned, but her gaze drifted to the right, settling on the person that Ichigo obviously couldn't see walking at his side. "You've got really great friends, Itsygo."

"Now you're just patting yourself on the back, Nel. Don't get a big head."

* * *

><p>"Now he's got a Shinigami walking him home?" Jackie spat, shoving the pair of binoculars angrily at Riruka. "Who the hell is this guy?"<p>

Riruka frowned as she took her turn to look. There was indeed now a Shinigami accompanying Ichigo and the Hollow. That didn't quite explain why Riruka felt stirrings of jealousy deep down, though. "She's so plain! What does he see in her?"

Jackie stared at her. "I think you're missing the point, Riruka. Did you even look at her arm?"

"Her arms are plain, too! And so skinny! I bet I could snap her in half without even trying!"

Jackie sighed and shook her head. Clearly, it was not going to matter to Riruka one bit that the Shinigami was wearing an armband. But it meant a great deal to Jackie. Given their collective history, it was no real surprise that they could instinctively recognize Hollows. There was just a certain feel to the creatures that was both unique and horrifying. It was truly hard to forget the sensation. Shinigami were different, and Ginjō had needed to teach them the difference, after which it seemed obvious.

Ultimately, it meant that they had stepped fully into yet another mess, and once again, Tsukishima was nowhere to be found, even though it had been his idea in the first place. Jackie was really starting to hate him, again. Not for the first time, she wondered why it was that she continued to associate with him at all. She had never really seen in him what Riruka had. She wasn't attracted to him, and didn't even think him a decent man. Oddly, though, the few friends she did have all seemed to think the world of Tsukishima, so at some point, Jackie had given up trying to make them feel otherwise.

It was easier to simply accept Tsukishima as an inevitable part of life, and move on as best she could despite that.

"We'll try again tomorrow morning, Riruka," Jackie decided. "It's not like he can keep that Hollow with him all the time. And I'm sure that Shinigami has better things to do."

* * *

><p>Ichigo was asleep. Nel was not.<p>

For the past hour, she had been lying against his side, staring up at the moon, and remembering. Amnesia was no longer as much of a problem as it had once been for her. Now, the largest issue was organizing everything that she remembered so that it all made sense in her head. It was an inescapable fact that she was basically two people now, and while they were both happy to work together, it still took some effort to synch up their memories each night. Sometimes, when Nel was confused about something, she could hear her other self whispering advice in the back of her mind. She knew that voice was usually correct, because more often than not, Pesche told her the same things, in his own way.

Right now, that voice was telling her to rely on Ichigo's friends, Orihime included.

It was why Nel had not told Ichigo about the Shinigami that had walked them home. Truthfully, she had been a little surprised to see Rukia again: Ichigo had always given the impression that he was the only Shinigami in his world, or at least that he worked alone. It was possible that he'd been replaced now that he was powerless, and of course, if he couldn't see his replacement, it was no wonder he hadn't said anything. But for some reason, Rukia had asked Nel not to say anything to him. Nel had agreed only because she thought that being aware a friend was close by, but being unable to see them, would make Ichigo sad. She had certainly felt that way all the time she'd been separated from him.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Nel closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She began to focus all of the power in her little body on a single point within her cracked Hollow skull. Even when her limbs began to tremble and her breathing became unsteady, she poured more and more of her strength into the point until there was nearly nothing left... and then she let it all go.

It was easily enough compressed power to wipe the entire Kurosaki home off of the map, if it had exploded.

But instead, the power was pulled hungrily into that single point, where it immediately vanished.

"It's not enough," Nel gasped as her eyes began to close from exhaustion. "It's nowhere near enough. Sorry, Orihime..."

In seconds she was fast asleep, and when Rukia arrived moments later to investigate the massive build-up of power she'd felt, she only found Ichigo and Nel both sleeping peacefully, seemingly without a care in the world. Instead of leaving to return to her patrol duties, Rukia decided to settle in for the night, just in case. She was surprised to find that her old bed in Ichigo's closet was waiting for her: on the pillow, there was a small box with her name on it that contained assorted hard candy, along with a freshly laundered pair of Yuzu's old pajamas stacked neatly in the corner (and Rukia noted with much satisfaction that they no longer fit her, due to a recent growth spurt).

"It's good to be home," Rukia murmured with a smile as she settled her head against the pillow.

* * *

><p><strong>Continued in Chapter 3: Deception<strong>

Ichigo meets Riruka, and though he considers her problem a bit beyond his expertise, reluctantly decides to help her. He cannot, however, understand why Nel insists that he should not trust Riruka, or why nearly every person Nel interacts with seems to come under attack shortly after.

* * *

><p><strong>Endnotes:<strong>

Not really crazy about Fullbringers (I think I said that already), though I have to admit that Jackie and Riruka held my interest, if only because they were so similar to Yoruichi and Hiyori, two of my favorite characters in Bleach.


	3. Deception

Notes: This chapter, as requested by some, gives a little more background as to what Nel was doing while she was gone... or at least, who she was hanging out with. And with the release of manga chapter 491, I bet the content that follows seems pretty timely (again). Or just really, really weird.

* * *

><p><strong>Remnant<strong>

**A Bleach Fanfic by**

**Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)**

**Chapter 3: Deception**

* * *

><p>Although it was good to be back in the Kurosaki home, Rukia quickly began to realize that things were notably different this time. For one thing, though Ichigo could not see her in his current state, his family could. This could easily lead to awkward moments, and above all, Rukia did not want Ichigo to know she was there. Her only options were to either constantly alter the memories of Ichigo's family (which she wouldn't wish even on people she disliked with a passion), or to hide from them as well.<p>

The process was tricky, but not as difficult as she had feared. Ichigo almost never looked into his closet, and even when he did, he just assumed that the signs of it being lived in were from Rukia's previous stays. The only real threat was Yuzu, who came in to clean at least twice a week. Rukia could not even bring herself to be annoyed, because it was obvious that Yuzu, aside from being a neat freak, was expressing the entire family's feelings: they missed Rukia and wanted her back. In an odd way, they were more her family than the Kuchikis had ever been, but Rukia would never admit that to anyone. It was true that Byakuya had put his honor and his life on the line for her, and she would always be grateful to him for that. But his home had never truly felt like her home. Nothing had, until she had come to stay with the Kurosakis. A big part of that was Ichigo himself. It was why he made friends so easily, and probably why Nel had left Hueco Mundo just to be with him. Something about Ichigo just called to people like nothing else. It was so easy to believe in him and his power, and when he was around, Rukia's world did not seem quite so bleak.

There was really only one major drawback to the current situation in Rukia's eyes: she could no longer depend on having Yuzu's home-cooking, which made Rukia somewhat grumpy when she woke up and realized that she would have to get her own breakfast. She intended to wait until Ichigo and his sisters had left to slip out of the closet, but this turned out to be unnecessary. Just before Ichigo left for school, Nel slid the closet door open. She was wearing a very small, secondhand pair of pink overalls that had no doubt once belonged to one of Ichigo's sisters. Nel flashed Rukia a quick smile before shoving a still warm, half-eaten plate of breakfast into her startled hands and shutting the door again. It was not exactly what Rukia had been hoping for, but it was better than nothing, so she settled down to eat without complaint.

* * *

><p>Ichigo had known his day would be weird. He was taking a former Espada to school with him, after all. But he had thought he'd at least be able to get a foot outside his door before the weirdness started.<p>

On some level, he probably should have known better.

The unfamiliar car sitting at the end of the driveway didn't really concern him, at first. Hollows didn't use cars, and even without his powers, Ichigo was still easily one of the physically strongest humans around for miles. That aside, he might have actually welcomed the change of pace that a human punk or thief would represent.

But what got out of the car was immediately worse: it was a girl, and she was very clearly a damsel in distress. She was very obviously in trouble, and even more obviously expecting Ichigo to do something about it.

Any other day, Ichigo might have at least listened to her. But with Nel clinging to his back and a very strong suspicion that this would be a long day no matter what he did, Ichigo simply wasn't in the mood. So when the girl ran up to him, he pushed his father's business card into her hands and walked past without a second glance. Assuming she needed medical help, it would be perfect. Since she probably didn't, it would likely be no help at all. Ichigo was almost at the end of the driveway before this was proven accurate.

"Hey, wait!" the girl shouted, running after him. "I don't need a doctor!"

Ichigo sighed, turned to face her, and frowned as he got a good look at her. Whether she needed a doctor was up for debate, in his mind. She gave the impression of being rather pretty... at least, she would have been, had she gotten a decent night's sleep. Instead, she looked more like she had once been pretty, except that life, or something in it, had gotten in the way of that. There were bags under her eyes, and what was definitely a fading bruise high on her left cheek. There were only so many ways to get one like that, and since she was definitely no older than him, Ichigo assumed the worst.

"But you look tired," Nel said at once. "Doesn't she, Itsygo?"

Ichigo would have answered, but something odd happened just then. The girl's gaze seemed to travel toward Nel, or perhaps just the sound of her voice, and then quickly slide away. It was almost as if she hadn't seen Nel at all, or was just very determined to ignore her. Ichigo couldn't tell if she could see Nel at all based on that, but it had never happened before, and he made a note of it.

"You're Kurosaki Ichigo, aren't you?" the girl demanded.

"Yeah," Ichigo said warily. "Why?"

Relief instantly flooded her face. "Good! So you can help me!"

"With what? I don't even know you, and how do you know my name?"

The girl dug into her purse and whipped out a photo, shoving it into Ichigo's face. "This!"

It was a typical photo of a teenage couple. The same girl was sitting in the lap of what, in Ichigo's mind, looked like nearly every neighborhood punk he had ever set straight, if someone had rolled them into a ball, melted them down, and molded the mass into a single person. Suddenly, the bruise on her face made much more sense. "Your ex?" he guessed.

She nodded. "I need you to protect me from him."

Ichigo sighed. "Listen, um..."

"Riruka."

"Riruka. Right. I don't really do protection." Ichigo blinked, amazed at how much that sounded like a lie to him. "Okay, well, I did. But not anymore."

"But you have to! If Moe finds me, I don't know what he'll do!"

"Can't you call the police then?"

"I don't want him to go to jail! I just want him to leave me alone for a while!"

Riruka's answer only made Ichigo more certain that he was doing the right thing in refusing. "Yeah, I don't think this would work out too well. Based on what you're telling me, the only thing I could really do is pound him into the dirt, and I assume you don't want him hurt?"

"Oh, no. You can hurt him all you want. He deserves that much."

Ichigo blinked. "I think you just need a bodyguard."

"Well, that's why I came to you in the first place. Tsukishima said you would protect me, and-"

"Who is Tsukishima?" Ichigo interrupted.

"You don't remember? He said you were old friends!"

Ichigo shook his head. "I don't know any Tsukishima."

"But you're the one he told me to find!" Riruka insisted. "There's no mistake!"

"Maybe not, but I still can't really help you. I have school. Right now, in fact."

"Then I can give you a ride while we talk some more. My friend Jackie can drive us." She waved to the car at the end of the driveway, and immediately got an answering honk.

"You're not going to leave no matter what I say, are you?" Ichigo asked.

Riruka smirked at him. "You learn fast."

* * *

><p>Rukia frowned as she watched Ichigo and Nel climb into the car with Riruka and drive off. She had heard most of the conversation from Ichigo's balcony, but most of that meant nothing to her. What concerned her was the odd feeling the girl had given her. Rukia had learned very quickly that people in the living word who gave her odd feelings usually ended up having strong spiritual power, and it was generally best to find out if they were going to be a threat right away, rather than after the fact. Nel could probably protect Ichigo from Riruka if the latter ended up being a Hollow, but Rukia wanted to be certain.<p>

She was just about to launch herself over the balcony when a tall, male Shinigami landed on the railing, blocking her way.

"Sorry if I startled you, Lieutenant Kuchiki," he apologized, "but from the looks of it, you were about to interfere in my investigation without knowing all the details."

Rukia blinked slowly. "I wasn't told of any investigation in this area. Who are you, and what division are you from?"

"Ginjō, 12th Division," he answered with an easy smile. "As I'm sure you know, my captain isn't exactly eager to share information with others, so I'm not surprised you don't know about this. I've been following those two women for a while now. I can't prove it yet, but I think they're up to something, and they may be trying to involve your friend Kurosaki. My research suggests that they may even be experimenting on Hollows."

"Then why are you stopping me?" Rukia demanded.

"Because if they are doing that, I need to know where and how. If you interfere now, I may never find out. I could use some help with surveillance, however."

Though she was tempted to pull rank on him, Rukia let it go, for the moment. She didn't want to waste any more time arguing than they already had. "Fine, then. We watch for now. But I say when we move in." She leaped over the balcony before he could protest, and was slightly surprised when he followed her without a word. All in all, he wasn't the worst person from the 12th Division that she'd ever met (no one could really compete with Captain Kurotsuchi in that category), but he still rated watching. Rukia had noticed that he had said nothing about Nel's involvement, which could only mean that he had already labeled her as a Hollow to either be destroyed. While that was indeed normal behavior for a Shinigami, she had no intention of letting it happen to Nel. Unfortunately, Ginjō was considerably larger than Rukia, so it would likely take some effort to put him down without actually killing him. If her actions were called into question later, she could probably pass it off as a surprise training exercise. Probably.

* * *

><p>By the time he reached school, Ichigo had decided he would agree to help Riruka, if only so she would stop bugging him. Jackie had told him Riruka's whole sob story while she drove, in an obvious attempt to win his sympathy. While Ichigo did feel sorry for Riruka, he still felt her situation was beyond his ability to fix, and that what she really needed was a restraining order, or possibly to move to another continent. Unfortunately, he had not counted on just how determined Riruka was to be protected by him, because when Ichigo and Nel got out of Jackie's car, so did Riruka.<p>

"Uh, you don't have to walk us in," Ichigo pointed out.

Riruka scowled at him. "I'm not walking you in. I'm going in with you."

"You can't. You're not a student here."

"So tell them I'm your cousin and that I'm new in town."

"That would be lying," Ichigo replied, trying his best to sound extremely offended.

"So what?" Riruka asked. "I'm going in. You can either lie, or tell them the truth: that you're protecting me from my abusive ex-boyfriend."

"Sounds like a fast way to get rid of you, actually."

"Maybe. Or maybe we both end up at a police station where you're expected to answer a bunch of questions that you can't, since you just met me this morning. My story will match Jackie's, so you'll look like the one that's lying. Care to try your luck with that?"

"Did I mention I don't much like you?" Ichigo muttered.

"Well, I assume that's part of why you're going to school: because you don't know that decent guys are supposed to defend a lady in trouble."

"Not if she put herself in it and refuses to get out," Ichigo murmured softly enough where she didn't hear him, but he stopped trying to prevent Riruka from following him.

Nel had been oddly silent ever since Riruka (and then Jackie) had started ignoring her. Ichigo had poked her a few times to make sure she was awake, but each time she merely brushed his finger away. He felt sure that Nel just didn't like Riruka, which he could certainly understand, but simply not talking was the last way he expected Nel to react to someone she didn't like. If anything, he expected her to talk nonstop about how she didn't like them. Ichigo was not entirely surprised to realize that he would much rather ditch Riruka, especially if it would return Nel to her usual self. He had no idea how to handle a silent Nel.

Thankfully, that issue didn't last much longer. The moment Ichigo stepped into his classroom, Nel was snatched off of his back. He immediately spun around, only to find Tatsuki cooing and planting kisses all over Nel's giggling face. Ichigo wasn't sure if he should have been amazed, disgusted, or both, as he had never seen Tatsuki behave in such an un-Tatsuki-like way before.

Tatsuki noticed his stare and relaxed somewhat, shifting her hip and planting Nel there with an ease that was increasingly troubling. "What? I can't be good with kids?"

"It's... not so much that you can't be, as much as it is that you are," Ichigo admitted.

"Well, too bad. You're not allowed to keep this little cutie to yourself anymore," Tatsuki replied, sticking her tongue out at him. "In fact, since it's still early, I might take her down to the cafeteria, since I bet you didn't feed her properly."

"I fed her just fine!" Ichigo protested.

"Yeah? She didn't look too happy when I first saw her a second ago."

Ichigo looked at Nel, who seemed to be firmly in a good mood now. "Nel? You weren't happy?"

Nel pouted cutely. "Nel doesn't like being ignored, Itsygo."

Ichigo immediately felt like dirt. "I'm sorry, Nel. I didn't mean to."

"It's okay. Nel still loves you." Nel leaned over and gave him a big kiss on the lips.

Ichigo shuddered, wiping his mouth on his forearm to get the kiddie drool off. "Thanks, I think. So you want to go with Tatsuki?"

Much to his surprise, Nel nodded and laid her head on Tatsuki's shoulder.

Tatsuki grinned triumphantly. "Told you I was good with kids. We'll see you later, Ichigo."

"Sure," Ichigo murmured as they left. He wondered briefly why Tatsuki had said nothing about Riruka, but then saw why: Riruka was on the other side of the classroom, talking to a group of girls that included Orihime. Tatsuki probably hadn't even realized they were together. But if that meant that Riruka wasn't going to be breathing down his neck the whole time, he could live with that.

* * *

><p>Nel wasn't sure why she was happy to get away from Riruka, but she was. That aside, Tatsuki was almost as nice as Orihime, and she had promised food. She hadn't really been thinking at the time, but Nel had given most of her breakfast to Rukia, figuring that she would need it more. Nel had not taken into account that she'd used up nearly all of her power the previous night, but her stomach was suddenly doing a great job of reminding her that it was not happy about being mostly empty.<p>

The cafeteria was filled with students. Nel did not think they'd be able to find a place to sit, but spotted a familiar head just above all the others. "Giant!" she cried, pointing.

Tatsuki looked in that direction and laughed. "Good eye, Nel-chan." She pushed her way through the crowd until she finally reached the table where Sado was sitting. "Hey, can you keep an eye on her for a minute? I promised I'd get her something to eat."

"Sure," he replied, giving no indication that he knew Nel at all as she was passed to him. He placed her carefully in the empty seat next to his, and once Tatsuki left, offered Nel a few orange slices, which she quickly inhaled. "You should probably chew."

Nel gave him a blank look.

"Forget it. Enjoying your first day of school so far?"

Nel considered this. "Nel likes Tatsuki. Nel doesn't like Itsygo's new girlfriend."

Sado blinked slowly. "Ichigo has a girlfriend? Are you sure?"

"She bosses him around, she looks younger than him, and they're not related. That makes her a girlfriend, right?"

Sado couldn't really think of a way to disprove Nel's logic, but the idea of Ichigo having a girlfriend seemed so... odd. For one thing, he had seen Orihime earlier that morning, and she hadn't looked crushed. That pointed to Ichigo still being very much single. "What's this girlfriend's name?"

"Riruka."

Sado jerked noticeably. "Riruka?" he hissed.

"You know her?"

"We've met."

"Make her go away, then."

"That... won't work," Sado sighed. "She doesn't scare easy. Well, I've never managed it."

Nel found this both hard to believe and very worrisome. What kind of girl wasn't scared of giants? On the other hand, she quickly realized, this giant wasn't really all that scary to her anymore. Scary giants didn't share their fruit, as nice as that had been. She was about to suggest that he try some of Runuganga's poses to increase his scariness, but then Tatsuki returned with a plate full of fruits and pastries, and Nel forgot all about her suggestion.

Nel had always enjoyed eating sweet things, but was surprised at how quickly she devoured everything on the plate. It only served to remind her that she was still very low on power, and that she was really in no shape to protect Ichigo or anyone else at the moment. Something needed to be done about that, and soon.

While Tatsuki and Sado were busy talking, Nel reached into her pocket and pulled out the cell phone that Yoruichi had given her. The only numbers programmed into it were for Urahara's shop and the Kurosaki home, but Nel realized that she didn't need them. She had never needed any kind of device to sense the presence of her Fracción, and they had always managed to sense when she needed them. Even now, she could tell that Pesche was somewhere in the school, and that Dondochakka was likely at Urahara's shop or somewhere close to it. Taking a deep breath, Nel cleared her mind of everything but a single thought.

"Pesche, I need you."

"Did you say something, Nel-chan?" Tatsuki asked.

"No," Nel replied, a little embarrassed that she'd been overheard. She had not really expected humans to be able to hear her thoughts, though perhaps the combination of Tatsuki being Ichigo's friend and Nel having never tried summoning her Fracción in the world of the living made it possible. She would have to keep that in mind.

Only minutes later, a male teacher with a bug-like face walked up to the table, giving Sado and Tatsuki a severe expression. "Shouldn't you two be getting to class? You only have a few minutes before the bell rings."

Sado knew Pesche on sight and wasn't all that concerned, but Tatsuki immediately jumped up and grabbed Nel. "Yes, sir! Sorry, sir!"

"What a cute little girl," the man added, patting Nel's head. "Are you making sure she has everything she needs?"

"I could use some vitamins," Nel said at once.

Tatsuki laughed uneasily. "Don't be silly, Nel-chan. You just had a whole plate of fruit, you've got plenty of vitamins!"

The odd glint in the teacher's eyes showed he had understood Nel's meaning, however, and he walked off without another word.

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later, an ice cream truck pulled up behind the school, and the same teacher climbed aboard, squeezing in next to the heavyset driver with a face like a Halloween mask.<p>

"We have to send a message home, Dondochakka," the teacher said.

The driver shot him a doubtful look.

"I know, but it can't be helped. We need to increase Nel's power immediately, and there's only one way. Even if it means that Harribel-sama will know where we are, and might force us to return instead."

The driver nodded slowly, but said nothing.

The teacher produced a sheet of paper and quickly scribbled a message on it, before folding it several times. "I'll need your mouth again. And please tell me it isn't still connected to the women's bathhouse. We nearly got killed the last time."

The driver worked his jaw for a few seconds, and then opened his mouth wide, revealing a relatively small Garganta where his throat should have been.

The teacher tossed the letter inside. "Now we wait. And hope."

* * *

><p>The rest of the school day passed quickly for Ichigo. Nel had decided to stay with Tatsuki, and Riruka kept her distance as well, though both at least kept in him in their line of sight for most of the day. Though he hated to admit it, Ichigo enjoyed not having to deal with either of them for a while.<p>

That came to a swift end the moment the last bell rang. Riruka immediately marched up to him and stated, "Hurry up and come with me. Jackie's waiting outside. We need to discuss how you're going to protect me."

Before Ichigo could answer, he felt a familiar weight land on his back.

"No! Itsygo is coming home with Nel!" Nel shouted.

This time, there was no denying that Riruka saw Nel: the two began glaring at each other heatedly.

Ichigo groaned. This was exactly what he'd been hoping to avoid.

"Is something wrong, Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime asked as she walked over with Tatsuki.

Ichigo had never been more relieved to see her as he pried Nel off of his back and held her out. "Inoue, could you take Nel to that doughnut shop you're always talking about?"

"Um, sure," Orihime agreed as she took Nel.

Nel was not such a big fan of sweets that she failed to realize what Ichigo was doing. "Itsygo...?" she asked softly. "You... don't want to be with Nel?"

"It's not that, Nel," he explained. "Protecting someone is important, right? It's not something to take lightly. I know you understand that."

She frowned. "I do, but..."

"I know you're not happy when I don't pay attention to you. So I'd rather you spend time with someone who can give you all the attention you can handle while I take care of this, okay? It's just for a little while."

Nel glanced at Riruka, who suddenly looked extremely smug. "Okay. But can Nel have a hug first?"

"Of course you can." Ichigo knelt down and gave her a big hug, hoping it would be enough.

Nel brought her lips up to his ear. "Whatever you do, don't trust her, Itsygo," she whispered. "Please?"

Ichigo blinked in surprise as Nel let go and turned away, taking Orihime's hand. It was hard to imagine that Nel would urge him not to trust anyone, especially out of simple jealousy. Maybe there was a larger reason why she didn't trust Riruka, and he just couldn't see it yet. Ichigo didn't really trust Riruka himself, but he did feel that the part about her being in trouble was genuine, and part of him wanted to help her solely because she seemed to have so much faith in him. But as Nel left with Orihime and Tatsuki, Ichigo was reminded of something else that Riruka had failed to mention.

"So," he said, turning to Riruka, "you can see Nel. And you've been seeing her since we met this morning, right?"

"What does that matter?" Riruka demanded. "So you've got a whiny kid, and you think it's odd that I'd try to ignore her?"

Ichigo opened his mouth to call her a liar, but stopped himself. Riruka being able to see Hollows only meant that she had stronger than normal Reiryoku. It did not necessarily mean that she knew anything about Hollows, or his past as a Shinigami. But he was not willing to rule it out, considering someone had given her his name. Ichigo was famous only for two things: his reputation as a menace to all the neighborhood punks, and his adventures as a Shinigami. The former only seemed to attract more punks, while the latter had attracted no end of superpowered villians. The odds weren't too high of Riruka being a punk from what he could see, which likely meant whoever this Tsukishima was, he knew far more about Ichigo than Ichigo wanted him knowing.

"So can we go now?" Riruka snapped, tapping her foot irritably.

"Yeah," Ichigo muttered. "Sure." He followed Riruka down to the school's front gate, where their way was blocked, if only briefly, by a familiar face.

"I see you two have met," Sado commented, clearly unhappy with the situation.

"Yeah, so?" Riruka asked.

"You know her, Chad?" Ichigo asked, starting to get a bad feeling.

Sado nodded. "Yes. You shouldn't be involved with her, Ichigo."

"You weren't saying that when I brought you aboard, big guy," Riruka pointed out. "And don't forget how much you owe me. At least one of those muscles on that mountain you call a chest is there because of my help!"

"I haven't forgotten. But that has nothing to do with Ichigo. Why are you with him, Riruka?"

Riruka sniffed and turned her head. "Since you were rude to me, I don't think I'll tell you. You'll just have to tag along and see for yourself."

"Hold it," Ichigo said. "I'm not going anywhere until I get some details."

Sado sighed. "Riruka has been helping me with my training. She's directly responsible for my recent increase in strength."

Ichigo's eyes narrowed. "Then she knows about Nel."

Sado gave him an odd look. "She knows about Hollows, if that's what you mean."

"And I'm guessing she doesn't really have an abusive ex-boyfriend?"

To his surprise, Sado looked startled. "She told you about Shishigawara?"

"So that part was true?" Ichigo asked, looking just as startled.

"Of course it was!" Riruka shouted. "Why would I lie about that?"

"You lied about Nel. Or at least you let me think you didn't know what she was."

Riruka glared at him. "I'm not a big fan of Hollows, okay? I'm sure you of all people could understand why! So if I want to avoid the fact that the one person that's supposed to save me is best friends with a Hollow, that's MY business and no one else's, got it?"

"Then there's just one more thing I need to know." Ichigo smirked. "You're telling me that you know Chad, and you still think you need me to scare off your ex? I'm not buying it."

Riruka shook her head. "You don't know Moe. He doesn't scare easy. Ever, really. He's super strong, especially when he wants something, and he wants me. Chad wouldn't be enough to stop him, trust me."

* * *

><p>The doughnut shop was everything that Orihime had promised it would be, but Nel could not seem to enjoy it. She could not get over what she saw as Ichigo's rejection of her. It was not so much that he had gone with Riruka, but that he apparently still did not take the idea of Nel protecting him seriously. This did not stop Nel from eating everything that Orihime put in front of her, but she did so without even a trace of her usual smile.<p>

"Don't let it get you down, Nel-chan," Tatsuki told her as Orihime wiped Nel's face with a napkin. "Ichigo's a little thick, but he usually comes around and apologizes for being an idiot. By tomorrow, you'll both have forgotten all about this."

Nel sighed and said nothing, suspecting it would take far more than just one day to get rid of Riruka.

Tatsuki frowned and elbowed Orihime, indicating that she should try to cheer Nel up next.

Orihime was still trying to come up with an idea when Nel suddenly jerked to attention and jumped out of her chair. "Um, bathroom!" she shouted before running from the table, straight out of the doughnut shop.

The two girls exchanged glances before running after Nel. This was not an easy task: Nel had a headstart and was surprisingly fast for having such short legs. Nel ran for at least three blocks before coming to an abrupt halt in front of a dark alley. There she knelt down and stared straight ahead, as if looking for something.

Tatsuki caught up to Nel first, and while she was attempting to catch her breath, something moved at the other end of the alley. Not moved as if shifted from one place to another, but moved as in something was apparently trying to tear its way out of one world and into another. By the time Orihime caught up, the Garganta had already closed, and whatever had emerged was sitting in the dark alley without moving a muscle.

Nel tilted her head at an odd angle, and suddenly the eye sockets in her Hollow skull lit up, bathing the alley in twin beams of crimson light.

At first glance, the creature in the alley appeared to be a dog, but only because that was the animal it most closely resembled that one might expect to find in an alley. But once Nel trained her lights on it, it was obvious that the creature was really nothing like a dog, or indeed, any other animal.

It was small, perhaps only slightly larger than the average puppy. It was also exceedingly furry, with most of its dark brown fur circling its neck in a thick, shaggy mane. But the most distinctive feature was the small, elongated Hollow mask over its face.

"What is it?" Tatsuki gasped, barely able to process what she was seeing.

Orihime opened her mouth to try and offer an explanation, but knew nothing she said would be sufficient.

Nel, on the other hand, looked totally unconcerned. In fact, she looked happy for the first time in hours as she patted her knees. "Ayon-chan! Come!"

Instantly, the creature stood up and walked forward, the black hooves on its feet clicking softly against the ground. It came to a stop directly in front of Nel, sitting down again and allowing her to wrap her arms around its neck.

"Nel-chan, is that yours?" Orihime asked hesitantly.

Nel gave her a funny look. "He doesn't belong to anyone. He's my friend!" She turned back to Ayon and rubbed his head. "Did you bring me something from home?" she asked.

Ayon immediately opened his mouth, revealing that it was actually so wide that it stretched nearly the length of his mane. His mouth was filled with several rows of razor-sharp teeth, and to Orihime's horror, Nel stretched out her hand toward that same mouth.

"Don't, Nel-chan, it's dangerous!" she cried.

As Nel's hand closed around one of the teeth, she turned back to look at Orihime. "Don't be silly! He's not dangerous!" She gave a small tug, and the tooth came loose with ease. It looked a great deal like an extremely sharp white triangle, but Nel gave no sign that she had been hurt. This process went on for several minutes (during which Ayon remained perfectly motionless), until Nel had amassed a small pile of the teeth on the ground. She swept all but one into a cloth bag that she tucked into her pocket.

"Why'd you take his teeth?" Tatsuki finally asked.

"They weren't his," Nel explained, pointing. It was indeed extremely difficult to tell if Ayon had lost any teeth at all: his mouth appeared just as filled with teetn as when Nel had started.

"So they're yours?" Tatsuki guessed.

"They are now."

"What are you going to do with them?"

Nel picked up the tooth that she'd left out, looked at it closely, and then simply pushed it into one of the eye sockets of her Hollow skull.

Both girls covered their eyes, fully expecting that Nel had just shoved a sharp object into her brain and would soon bleed out.

Instead, there was something of a loud rattling noise, quite similar to a coin dropping into a vending machine, and then silence.

"Why are you two playing Hide and Seek?" Nel asked.

Tatsuki was the first to peek. Nel was completely unharmed, from what she could see. "How did you do that?" she demanded.

"Do what?" Nel asked.

Orihime peeked as well. "Nel-chan, you really scared us!"

Nel blinked, clearly not understanding. "Um, okay. Can we go home now? Yuzu said Nel could pick what we have for dinner!"

"What about your, um, friend?" Orihime asked, gesturing at Ayon. "Is he coming, too?"

"No, he needs to go back home. They'll miss him." Nel hugged Ayon's neck again, dropping a kiss on his head. "Thank you so much for coming to visit, Ayon-chan. Love you!" Once she let go, Ayon simply stood up and walked past the girls without a glance, darting around the corner before either could even suggest that he leave the way he came.

* * *

><p>Ichigo glanced at each face in the room. "So let me see if I have this right. You can give me back my Shinigami powers?"<p>

"That is correct, Kurosaki-san," the man that had introduced himself as Giriko replied.

"And the only thing you want in return, is that I agree to protect Riruka?"

"Also correct."

"And despite being... Fullbringers, was it? None of you are able to protect her from this Shishi-guy?"

"Shishigawara-kun, and you are again correct. As we said, he is also one of us, and quite powerful. But we do not expect you to make this decision lightly. If you need time to consider our offer-"

"I'm in," Ichigo interrupted. "Normally I might not trust you, but if Chad thinks you're on the level, it's enough for me."

"Good," said Yukio, the young boy who was the apparent leader of the group. "Then welcome to Xcution. We'll get you a T-shirt or something later."

"None of you ever said you could restore Ichigo's powers," Sado pointed out, a hint of anger in his tone. "Why?"

"It was Riruka's choice to make," Yukio replied, shrugging. "We have all tried, in our own way, to help her. But it means nothing unless she accepts that help. We did not want to push her, and as a result, she arrived at the right decision on her own. If I know anything about Riruka, it is that she insists on making her own choices."

"I can believe that," Sado muttered, earning a heated glare from Riruka.

"So when do we get started?" Ichigo asked.

"Immediately, if you want," Yukio offered. "But before we begin, let me be clear on one thing: none of us wants these powers. We all believe firmly that our lives would be far better off if we had simply been normal people. We want to be normal people, and wish to distance ourselves from the supernatural as much as possible."

"And your point is?"

"If you choose to associate with a Hollow, that's your business. Don't make it ours. We despise Hollows and will not allow them in our presence."

Ichigo blinked slowly. He wasn't really surprised that the members of Xcution felt that way, if Hollows were responsible for their powers in the first place. It was obvious that they weren't going to accept Nel no matter what he said. "Fine. I can respect your feelings, but you'll have to respect mine. Nel keeps me and my family safe. So if you want to deal with me, we're a package deal. I won't bring her around here, but I won't stand for any of you attacking her. If you don't like it, you can find someone else to protect Riruka."

Yukio shook his head. "Agreed. But I warn you now, Ichigo: no good can come of associating with Hollows. You will come to regret this."

"You let me worry about that. Let's just get started."

* * *

><p>"Itsygo still isn't back," Nel murmured as she poked at her dessert.<p>

"It's nothing he hasn't done before," Karin assured her, patting Nel's head. "You get used to it, unfortunately."

"He could at least call if he's going to be late!" Yuzu fussed as she wrapped up Ichigo's dinner and put it in the refridgerator.

Nel closed her eyes, saying no more. She knew exactly where Ichigo was at the moment. At least, if needed, she could go directly to where she currently sensed Ichigo's Reiryoku, and also track him if he moved before she got there. She could also tell that he was doing something that was causing fluctuations in his Reiryoku, likely some kind of training. But so far, she could sense nothing that implied he was in any kind of danger, and he would probably resent it if she just showed up for no reason. Besides, she could still ask Pesche to go by and make sure nothing odd was going on. For some odd reason, he had always liked sneaking around and behaving like a spy. Nel had no idea how good he actually was at it, but he absolutely had to be better at it than Dondochakka, who tended to attract unwanted attention no matter what he did.

* * *

><p>"I still say we saw nothing to suggest experimentation on Hollows," Rukia said for the third time as she and Ginjō watched Ichigo walk home from a nearby rooftop.<p>

Ginjō snorted. "Are you kidding? A bunch of humans with weird powers that just happen to know how to restore Kurosaki's Shinigami powers? You don't find that at all suspicious?"

"Yes, but I don't see anything that connects them to Hollows, other than their all being very unfortunate. You can't expect me to believe that you actually blame them for the fact that all their mothers were attacked by Hollows?"

"No, but I do say it gives them a pretty strong motive. You heard how much they hate Hollows."

"Which means they'd destroy them, not keep them alive for experimentation! Not everyone is like Captain Kurotsuchi and the rest of his goon squad, you know!"

"Funny you should mention that. It's because I've seen him experiment on Hollows that I know what to look for. And I'm telling you that the Hollows in this town are not normal!"

Before Rukia could argue the point further, they both spotted something odd. What looked like a small, brown dog was slowly making its way down the opposite side of the street. Ichigo never even noticed it as he passed, but Rukia felt certain that something about the dog was just... off. Ginjō apparently felt the same way, because he immediately jumped off the roof, leaving Rukia with little choice but to follow. The dog seemed completely unaware of their presence as they crept up on it from behind.

Ginjō reached into his pocket and drew out what seemed to be a small piece of bread. "Hollow bait," he mouthed to Rukia, and before she could stop him, he tossed it over the dog's head. Or at least he would have, if the dog's head hadn't twisted around with an alarming crack and snapped up the bait, revealing a mouth filled with sharp teeth, tucked into what was clearly a Hollow mask.

Ginjō's hand flew to the hilt of his sword. That seemed to be the trigger for what happened next.

Immediately, enormous reiatsu slammed into them, pinning both Shinigami in place. Rukia had been in the presence of many Gillian-class Hollows before, and yet this was somehow far worse. The idea that something so small could be so powerful was mind-boggling.

Instantly, however, the reiatsu vanished, and the dog Hollow merely sprinted away from them. Still too shocked to move, they could only watch as the dog ran the length of another block, where it suddenly leaped into a passing ice cream truck and vanished from view.

"A little late for ice cream," Ginjō said faintly.

Rukia nodded, it was nearly midnight. There was no reason for any ice cream truck to be out that late. Of course, there was also no reason for any Hollow that small to be that strong, so she figured that logic simply wasn't operating too well at the moment.

* * *

><p>Ichigo collapsed five steps into his room, exhausted from his training, and was asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. Nel joined him in sleep the moment she knew he was home safely.<p>

As such, they both missed the series of frantic phone calls from Uryū that would have told them that both Orihime and Tatsuki had been attacked in their homes and hospitalized.

* * *

><p>The moment that Ayon's hooves touched down in the white sands of Hueco Mundo, he lowered his head in submission to the four Arrancar that stood before him.<p>

"So you've returned, Ayon," said the leader as she knelt down and briefly touched his head. "Tell me, did you find her?"

The fur along Ayon's neck parted, revealing a large, yellow eye. It blinked, projecting a tiny image of Nel and the two human girls that had been with her onto the sand.

"Isn't that the Orihime girl that was here before, Harribel-sama?" one of the Arrancar asked.

"So it would seem, Appaci. Nel is full of surprises, as usual." Harribel picked up Ayon and stroked his head. "Thank you for your service, Ayon. You are dismissed."

At once, Ayon's body dissolved into a cloud of red light. Harribel's three Fracción raised their left hands, all of which were missing their middle fingers. The red cloud split into three beams and flew to their hands, restoring the missing fingers in the space of a few seconds.

"It's so weird," one of the Arrancar murmured from behind her long, raised sleeve. "Why does Ayon only understand you and Nel-dono, Harribel-sama?"

"I've told you this before, Sung-Sun. It's because we speak to his heart. When you can do the same, he will hear you as well."

"And you're really going to leave her in the world of the living? If she still has to depend on your power to sustain her, shouldn't we bring her home right away?"

"Though I am... disappointed that she left without informing me, I trust that she had her reasons. I'm sure Pesche will contact us again if there is any trouble he cannot get her out of."

* * *

><p><strong>Continued in Chapter 4: Exile<strong>

The mysterious attacks continue, and all signs point to Nel being involved. Ichigo can only ignore the signs until his family comes under attack. Then he makes the difficult choice to distance himself from Nel... which is exactly what someone else wants.


	4. Relative

Notes: Yeah, it's back. Though, after working on this for a while, and re-watching the relevant episodes, I decided to go in a slightly different direction, so the previous chapter summary will be a bit off.

* * *

><p><strong>Remnant<strong>

**A Bleach Fanfic by**

**Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)**

**Chapter 4: Relative**

* * *

><p>Orihime woke up to the feeling of something warm and wet flicking against her cheek. Her first thought was that someone had brought a puppy in to see her. This only served to remind her of Nel's "puppy", which had been less cute and more frightening, and the thought of it licking her was rather unnerving, so Orihime opened her eyes at once. She was relieved (though still very confused) to find that it wasn't a dog licking her, but Nel instead.<p>

Nel stopped once she noticed that Orihime was awake. "Orihime!" she cried, rearing back as if to dive onto Orihime and give her a huge hug. Then Nel paused, and settled for carefully hugging Orihime's neck. "Nel was worried."

Orihime blinked and glanced around the room. She instantly spotted Ichigo beside her hospital bed, as well as Sado and Uryū near the wall. It was only when she looked to the right that she noticed Tatsuki in the bed just beyond Ichigo. Without even thinking about it, she began to summon her Shun Shun Rikka, but Nel squeezed her neck gently.

"Don't do it, Orihime. You're still hurt." And then, for no reason that Orihime could guess, Nel leaned in and began licking her cheek again.

"According to Kurosaki, Nel's saliva has healing properties," Uryū explained, though it was easy to hear the doubt in his voice.

"You really think I'd let her lick Inoue if I wasn't sure?" Ichigo demanded angrily.

"I think I'm more interested in how you discovered this rather obscure fact," Uryū replied with a smirk.

Ichigo scowled. "Let's just say she was using another delivery method entirely previously, and that this one is a lot less gross."

"Nel isn't gross!" Nel whined, pouting cutely.

"Of course you're not, Nel-chan," Orihime agreed weakly, reaching up to pat her head. "Thank you for taking care of me." Then she frowned. "Why do you need to take care of me in the first place? And what happened to Tatsuki? Is she okay?"

"She's fine, and you both have the same injuries," Uryū replied. "You were each attacked on your way home yesterday evening. You both suffered a broken right arm, a heavy blow to the back, and numerous small bruises. From what Tatsuki was able to tell me earlier, the attacker was definitely male."

"I... I don't remember any of that," Orihime murmured. "Did Tatsuki say why he attacked us? Did he want money?"

Uryū shook his head. "You still had your purse when you were brought in, and there's money in it. He didn't rob you. From all indications, he only wanted to hurt you, and not even that badly. Someone strong enough to break your arm could have done far worse. I think this is a message. I just have no idea what it is right now."

"It doesn't matter what the message is," Ichigo stated firmly. "Because when I find out who did this, I'm going to give them a message. And a broken arm will just be the start of it."

Orihime started to protest, but when she saw the determined look in his eyes, she knew it would be pointless. Really, she wasn't surprised. Ichigo hated feeling powerless, especially when people he cared about got hurt. And since the attacker was apparently human with no known special powers, this could actually be a problem that was within Ichigo's ability to handle.

"What will you do, Ichigo?" Sado asked. "Tatsuki barely got a glimpse of the guy. You won't be able to find him based on that."

"Tatsuki and Inoue weren't together when he got them. That means he knew who they were and targeted them. That means he's probably really looking for one of us."

"A surprisingly reasonable assumption," Uryū agreed.

"So I'm going to train again today. It's probably just some creep that doesn't have a problem hitting girls, but with the timing..."

"You think it's Shishigawara," Sado concluded. "And you want your powers restored before you face him."

Ichigo shrugged. "The guy took down Tatsuki, for crying out loud. No way he's a normal punk."

"Well, someone should stay here to protect the girls, in case the attacker returns," Uryū pointed out.

"Nel can do it," Ichigo said at once.

Nel grinned, glad he trusted her, but then frowned. "But you won't be safe if I'm here, Itsygo!"

"I'll be safe," he promised. "And I'll feel a lot better if I know Inoue and Tatsuki are safe, too."

Nel pouted. "I came to protect you and your family, Itsygo. I like Orihime, but she isn't family."

"Then do it as a favor to me, Nel. This is really important."

"At least take Dondochakka with you! He can drive you!"

Remembering how dead set against Hollows that Yukio and the others had been, Ichigo shook his head. "No, it's better if I go alone."

"You can't trust them, Itsygo!" Nel blurted out. "It's dangerous!"

"What makes you say that?" he asked.

"I... I don't know!" Nel admitted. "They just don't feel right to me!"

"I could go with you, Ichigo," Sado offered.

"No," Ichigo answered. "I need you to do something else. Nel had a point earlier. If this guy has no problem hurting girls close to us, he might go after my sisters next. They'll feel safest with you, Chad."

"Because I wouldn't make them feel safe at all?" Uryū asked indignantly.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "I was hoping you'd keep an eye on things at school, in case someone was attacked there next. Don't even pretend you were going to skip today."

"Maybe I was going to volunteer to stay here and make sure the nurses are taking good care of the girls. Did you ever consider that?"

"No. I just know you aren't going with me. I don't think these people are ready to meet a Quincy yet. Or at least not you." Ichigo turned to leave, but a hand grabbed his pants leg. He looked down to see Tatsuki glaring up at him. "Tatsuki? What is it?"

"Don't you kill him once you find him," she growled.

Ichigo smirked. "Right, because that's your job, once you get out of here."

"Damn right," she agreed, letting him go and closing her eyes. She had fallen asleep again in seconds.

"Don't forget to lick Tatsuki, too, Nel," Ichigo called over his shoulder as he left the room with Sado and Uryū behind him.

Nel immediately climbed over Orihime, sprang to the window, and opened it.

"Nel-chan, what are you doing?" Orihime asked.

"I can't stay here. Itsygo won't listen, but maybe Giant and Nerd will."

"What are you going to do, then?"

"Get a replacement," Nel replied. She had barely spoken when a man with a bug-like head appeared at the window. "I told Pesche and Dondochakka to stay close in case anything happened. They'll protect you until I get back."

"Have no fear, Nel-chan," Pesche said, bowing to her after he climbed in. "Nothing will happen to your friends while I am here."

Nel smiled at him and patted his head. "Thanks, Pesche. I won't be gone long." She scooted out of the window and dropped out of sight.

"You weren't really close by just because she asked, were you?" Orihime asked at once. "There's something else going on."

Pesche frowned. "I cannot say for certain, but things seem very strange recently. We expected the only threat to you and your friends to be other Hollows, and we never expected these people that Ichigo has been associating with. More importantly, whoever attacked you doesn't seem to be part of either group. That means there are far more threats than we may be prepared to deal with."

"What happens then?"

"Then... we may have to call for reinforcements," Pesche sighed. "And trust me, there's a reason why Nel-chan wanted to come here alone."

* * *

><p>While Rukia still did not fully trust Ginjō, she decided he was a little hotheaded, but basically a decent Shinigami. He also seemed to have no great love of the 12th Division, which went a long way in explaining why Rukia was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. They had planned to meet up on the roof of a coffee shop later that morning to discuss strategy. Rukia was a few minutes late because Yuzu had come into Ichigo's bedroom to clean, badly startling Rukia, who had still been in the closet at the time. It had taken some very careful maneuvering to avoid being detected, and even then, Rukia felt sure that Yuzu had sensed something familiar, even if she had no clear idea what.<p>

But as it turned out, not only was Ginjō late for their meeting, he failed to show up at all. Rukia was angry at first, but considering her own close call that morning, decided to give Ginjō the benefit of the doubt until she learned exactly what had happened with him. This was a good move, because it didn't take her long to lock in on Ginjō's reiatsu, and when she did, she could tell it was on the losing end of a clash with a much stronger but unfamiliar reiatsu. Although Rukia raced to the scene, by the time she arrived in the vacant lot, Ginjō was face-down and bleeding badly from a stab wound in his side.

"What happened, Ginjō?!" Rukia demanded after carefully rolling him over and trying to stop the bleeding. "Who did this to you?"

"Arrancar," Ginjō gasped. "Face... like a bug."

Rukia's panic gave way to shock: she, of course, knew such an Arrancar. "You... you're sure?"

Ginjō snorted. "Yeah, I don't often get ambushed by cackling, bug-faced Hollows. I'm sure. Just patch me up and I'll be fine, Lieutenant."

Rukia said nothing as she focused on cleaning the wound. If she took Ginjō at his word, then a bug-faced Arrancar had attacked him. It was entirely possible that there could be another Hollow with such a face in Karakura Town, however unlikely. But two bug-faced _Arrancar_ in the same town were either connected, or the _exact same_ Arrancar: coincidences just did not extend that far in Rukia's experience. And considering that on the previous night, she and Ginjō had seen a tiny, dog-like Hollow more powerful than anything that size had a right to be, Rukia wasn't in the mood to accept any further coincidences. So even if Pesche had not been the Arrancar that attacked Ginjō, then certainly someone in Nel's party had to know something. Because it was just not habit for any number of Arrancar to be in close proximity and not be either aware or wary of each other. That would go against nearly everything that Rukia had learned about Hollows in general and Arrancar in particular.

Fortunately, despite the seriousness of the wound, Ginjō insisted that it not prevent them from carrying out their duties. Once Rukia had ensured he would survive the trip, she made him promise to return to Soul Society for proper healing, while she remained behind to keep an eye on the situation. Again, Ginjō was particularly concerned about the possible experimentation on Hollows by humans, rather than the Hollows themselves, which Rukia found to be very curious considering his current state. But Ginjō's absence gave her the chance she needed to approach Nel without having to explain herself to another Shinigami, and it was looking like they would have plenty to discuss.

* * *

><p>Nel caught up with Sado and Uryū just outside the hospital, where she shared her concerns about Ichigo spending so much time with Xcution. She had expected them to agree with her, since Uryū seemed so sensible to her, and Sado already had trust issues with Xcution. But she would be disappointed by their response.<p>

"It's not as if we haven't considered everything that you've told us already, Nel," Uryū admitted. "But the fact is that we are spread a little thin at the moment, so if they can restore Ichigo's powers, whatever their intentions after that, we may need to risk Ichigo's being involved with them just long enough for them to be useful."

"I don't think they'll hurt Ichigo," Sado added. "They seem to need him to regain his powers, and once he does, Ichigo won't exactly be easy to control or defeat. I think we just have to trust him on this one."

Nel pouted at them. She had been hoping that they would side with her, and then the three of them would convince Ichigo, but it looked as if she were on her own. Her first instinct was to rush after Ichigo, but she knew he would only say the same thing, plus he'd be upset that she hadn't listened to him. Even if she was mad at him for being guilty of the same, that wouldn't help her convince him. It looked as if the only thing she could do now was exactly what Ichigo had had asked her to: watch over Orihime and Tatsuki. That would at least leave Pesche and Dondochakka free to keep an eye out for any odd humans in town.

Sado felt a little guilty as he watched Nel walk away. "You can tell that she really cares about Ichigo. And just because she can't explain her feelings, it doesn't mean she's wrong."

"I doubt that she's wrong at all," Uryū replied. "This is someone who was happy to put her life on the line for Ichigo, multiple times, against far stronger and totally merciless opponents. I may have had mixed feelings about Nel to begin with, but when it comes to Ichigo, she is completely transparent, especially in her current form. And as a Quincy, I'm far more inclined to trust the devils I do know over the ones I don't. So it's not that I think she's wrong. But for now, I think it may be best to act that way, so as to give the enemy a false impression.. Also, I have a theory, but I can't confirm it just yet."

"Tell me," Sado encouraged at once. "Somehow, I doubt that you're wrong, either."

Uryū smirked. "From an outsider's perspective, the only thing Orihime and Tatsuki have in common, other than being classmates, is being friends with us. And Ichigo is usually the ultimate target of schemes like this, so I have to assume this is no different. But if they're starting with his friends, that means that you and I are next."

Sado frowned. "Something tells me that you're not going to school, are you?"

"I am, but only long enough to make sure nothing's happened there. While it's true that Ichigo does have more friends there, I don't think any of them are targets. I think Orihime and Tatsuki were chosen to provoke him. Someone wants to awaken Ichigo's desperate need to protect those closest to him. Nothing does that quite so well as targeting females that he considers to be under his protection. And since you're going to be with his sisters, you'll be in the way. So that makes you the next target, and I think we stand a better chance of at least getting a more solid description of the attacker if we stick together. Besides, if I'm right about this, I doubt Ichigo will complain if it means his family has two protectors instead of one."

* * *

><p>"So this is... definitely progress," Ichigo murmured a few hours later, staring at the badge in his hand. Only moments before, the badge had the focus of his newly developed Fullbring, or at least the start of it, according to Yukio.<p>

"You realize that normally it could takes years for someone to get this far," Yukio reminded him. "Your growth rate is impressive, but perhaps we should stop for the day. We have been at this for a few hours now."

"No," Ichigo replied at once. "All I can really do right now is defend myself. That's not enough, and it's not the point. I'm not leaving until I can protect my family and friends."

Yukio frowned at him. "You don't make the rules here, and you should rest. If you-"

"So why don't you just restore his HP so he can keep going?" Riruka suggested from her seat on a nearby couch. "The faster we do this, the happier we all will be."

Yukio glared at her. "We need to be careful! if this fails-"

Riruka snorted. "Ichigo! Are you going to fail?"

Ichigo grinned. "Hell no."

"See?! He'll do fine! He's already not going to school today, so we might as well make use of the whole day, right?"

With a sigh, Yukio shook his head. "Fine! But when he finally passes out from exhaustion, he's going to stay that way until he wakes up on his own."

"Whatever! You worry too much, Yukio," Riruka complained.

"At least let Giriko fix you a drink before we continue, Ichigo," Yukio insisted. "It'll take me a few minutes to create a healing area for you, anyway."

Ichigo shrugged and wandered over to the bar.

"You are worried too much," Riruka said as she walked over to Yukio. "If you remember, it wasn't the Shinigami's power that was the problem last time."

"I know that," Yukio replied through gritted teeth. "But maybe _you_ don't remember that the last Shinigami was in perfect health when he got killed. So I'd rather limit the amount of time that Ichigo is at less than his best, because even in peak form, he could still be killed just as easily."

"He won't die," Riruka snapped. "Tsukishima said Ichigo would protect me, no matter what."

"And how effective will that protection be if your beloved Shishigawara kills Ichigo?" Yukio countered. "I imagine Jackie will be the next target. So rather than have complete faith in the word of someone who isn't even here, maybe you should start considering an alternate solution. Which I am."

"So you have some brilliant plan if Ichigo fails?"

"I have a plan, _assuming_ that Ichigo fails," Yukio corrected. "Became it will only work if Shishigawara actually does kill him."

Riruka stared at him and swallowed hard. "Will it really work?" she finally asked.

Yukio smiled grimly. "It better. Because the backup plan I have if _that_ one fails is even worse."

* * *

><p>Nel did not want to return to the hospital. Pesche and Dondochakka would make sure that nothing happened to Orihime and Tatsuki, and the boys were each keeping themselves occupied elsewhere. But Ichigo was still exposing himself to danger by associating with Xcution, and Nel didn't like that one bit. She couldn't stop him, though. Well, technically, she could. If she thought Ichigo was in mortal danger, Nel felt certain she could force a shift to her adult form, go get Ichigo, drag him back to his house, and then sit on his head until the danger passed. Ichigo wouldn't like that, however, and more importantly, he might not trust her if she forced him to do anything.<p>

But Nel felt sure that Ichigo was in danger, and that he was doing it solely because he still didn't completely trust her to keep his family safe. The knowledge hurt, but it was a sobering hurt: Nel had to show that she was serious and capable when it came to her task. There was no more time for games or fun.

So Nel marched into Urahara's shop, climbed up onto the counter, slapped the pocket change that Orihime had given her on said counter, and told Ururu exactly what she needed. "I need to find someone who can produce massive amounts of Cero without actually trying to kill me."

Ururu stared at her for a long moment, then slowly turned around. "Um, Hiyori-san, I think you have a customer..."

There was an enormopusly loud crash from the storeroom, and then a blonde girl stomped out into the open, angrily throwing a box of merchandise across the room as she emerged (both Ururu and Nel winced as the box hit the wall and dropped the floor, thoroughly shattering whatever was inside, by the sounds of it). "Dammit, Ururu! I said I would wait until that idiot came back with my prescription, but for the last time, I DO NOT WORK HERE!"

"But, but," Ururu whimpered, flinching as Hiyori glared at her. "Nel-chan needs someone with lots of Cero..."

"Without trying to kill me," Nel repeated, not caring for the apparently permanent sinister gleam in Hiyori's eyes.

Hiyori frowned. "Other than getting to work off some of my frustration, what's in it for me?"

"Nel-chan is a friend of Kurosaki-kun," Ururu murmured.

"Ichigo, huh?" Hiyori stared at Nel for a few seconds. "Okay, I'm in."

"Please remember to do this out in the backyard," Ururu said quickly, obviously being very aware of Hiyori's habit of breaking things and not being the least bit sorry about it. Already she was keeping a mental tab of exactly how much product Hiyori's latest visit had cost them.

"Nah, we better do this back at my place," Hiyori corrected. "If I was to blow up your shop, that idiot might never find his way back here. You just make sure he's got my medicine the next time I see him, Ururu, or there'll be hell to pay."

Nel frowned as she followed Hiyori out of the shop. "Excuse me, but... are you a Hollow?"

Hiyori froze. "Nope. Why?"

"Well, only Hollows can make Cero. I was hoping I would just be able to find a somewhat friendly one somewhere that was pretty strong. So why does Ururu think you can help me?" Nel asked.

There was a slight pause, in which Hiyori's head lowered and her shoulders shook, as if she were laughing or crying. Nel couldn't be sure from her position behind Hiyori, and just as she was about to step closer and ask if Hiyori was okay, something truly unexpected happened. Hiyori spun around, her face now covered by a gruesome Hollow mask that vaguely resembled a snarling rhino, and a ball of violently crimson Cero charging in her mouth. Nel was so startled that she had no chance to dodge, and an instant later Hiyori fired. At such close range, the explosive impact should have greatly harmed them both. But as the beam of pure destruction neared Nel, instead of slamming into her body, it was all pulled directly into the eye sockets of her Hollow skull, leaving Nel totally unharmed and Hiyori equally shocked as she pushed up her own mask, staring at Nel in disbelief.

"What the hell was that?" Hiyori demanded. "What did you do with my Cero?!"

Nel hesitated before replying, "I really don't think you want me to give it back."

Hiyori scowled at her. "You... you absorbed it... all of it. How did you manage that, and at close range? You should have at least gotten a little burned!"

Nel pouted. "I said I needed lots of Cero, what did you think I was going to do with it?"

"Well, you're getting any more from me until you tell me just who the hell you really are!"

For a long moment, Nel said nothing, wondering exactly how trustworthy Hiyori was. But then, Nel realized that she and Hiyori might have a lot in common. Hiyori had agreed to help once Ichigo's name was mentioned, and she did seem pretty angry. Perhaps Ichigo had thoughtlessly abandoned her as well? If so, then maybe all Hiyori needed was a little reassurance. And possibly a hug.

"I used to be an Espada, but then I got injured and kicked out, but then Itsygo found me and took care of me, so I helped him when they tried to kill him, but he thought I wasn't strong enough and left me behind, so I got stronger and came here to protect him, but now these weird people are trying to trick him, and I have to get even stronger fast so I can protect him from them!" Nel blurted out.

Hiyori stared at her blankly, giving no sign that the story had the intended impact.

Sensing an opportunity, Nel rushed in and gave Hiyori a big hug.

Hiyori stiffened at once, automatically made a fist and raised it over Nel's head, clearly intending to strike her. However, she changed her mind, and slowly lowered her hand, placing it on top of Nel's Hollow skull, and seizing it in an iron grip. "I can sense a second Hollow in you, and I don't think I like the way it feels. So one last time, pipsqueak: who are you? Tell me or I'll take you out here and now!"

"I can't die yet," Nel whispered, tightening her grip on Hiyori's back. "I have to help Itsygo."

Without warning, Nel's body seemed to explode in a cloud of green smoke, and Hiyori quickly backed away, her eyes flicking back and forth, trying to catch a glimpse of the shorter girl. There was no need, however: the sheer force of the reiatsu that hit Hiyori seconds later made the location of the source all too obvious.

"So you're done holding back, pipsqueak?" Hiyori chuckled, pulling her mask back down over her face. "Good. I was starting to get bored." With that, she charged a significantly more powerful Cero and fired into the midst of the green cloud.

* * *

><p>After a quick but odd healing session inside Yukio's game console, Ichigo had been allowed to resume his Fullbring training. Jackie had volunteered to be his next opponent, which was both good and bad. As Riruka's best friend, Jackie's motives in helping Ichigo were obvious, so Ichigo didn't need to wonder what she was all about. Unfortunately, as a direct result of being Riruka's best friend, Jackie was that much more determined to help Ichigo master his Fullbring faster, so she wasn't interested in taking breaks or holding back at all. It was fortunate, then, that Ichigo seemed to learn best by getting pounded into the ground, because Jackie turned out to be terribly good at it. By the time that Yukio insisted they stop, Jackie's boots were so stained with Ichigo's blood that it was nearly impossible to tell they'd ever been another color at all. But Ichigo had managed to advance his Fullbring from merely being a handheld shield into a sort of black reiatsu that covered his body and mimicked his Shinigami powers. While still incomplete, Ichigo was much more comfortable with this form and had at least been able to get a few good hits in on Jackie, which had been impossible beforehand.<p>

But Ichgio was not so excited by his progress that he failed to pick up on the looks of concern when he emerged from his latest healing session. "What is it? What's happened?" he demanded.

"It's Sado," Riruka said after a tense moment. "He's been attacked." She barely had time to step aside as Ichigo rushed past her. "Shouldn't we stop him?" she asked the others.

"There would be no point," Yukio replied. "He can only think of his friend's safety now, there would be no point in keeping him here. And I don't think this is an attempt to draw Ichigo out, merely one to aggravate him. He'll be fine, physically, at least. But don't be surprised if he returns wanting to fight two of us at once so as to further his training. Riruka, you and Jackie will have to handle that. I need to acquire some additional resources."

"What about Chad?" Jackie asked. "Maybe he can identify his attacker."

"I honestly don't think it matters at this point," Yukio said with a shrug. "It's either Shishigawara, or someone he intimidated into doing his dirty work."

* * *

><p>Sado opened his eyes and immediately became aware of a slight weight on his chest. He looked down his body to find Nel perched on top of him, her little hands bathed in green light as they poured more energy into his body. He understood instinctively that she was healing him, just as he also now understood that their respective energies were likely compatible because he was a Fullbringer.<p>

It should have disturbed him, he supposed, but Nel was a friend first, and a Hollow second. More importantly, whatever the source of his power, that power had allowed him to fight alongside and save his friends repeatedly. He did not regret it. Rather, he was grateful that he had been cursed with it. The exact opposite of Xcution, who wanted to be rid of theirs. And not for the first time, Sado questioned that motive. He had met many different people with many different powers. Almost none of them wanted to decrease or lose their power. Certainly it made no sense to him in this case: if one of his parents had been easy prey for a Hollow, then he wanted to be as strong as possible to keep it from happening to him. He wouldn't want to give up his power and be completely defenseless. And if his power attracted stronger Hollows, then he would keep getting stronger until he was able to defeat them all. And now that he had seen just how powerful Arrancar were, he would _never_ try to be rid of his powers completely. He had seen what that life was like for Ichigo, and Sado wanted no part of it: not the burden it would place on himself, or his friends.

So Xcution either had no idea how strong some Hollows truly were, or they were lying about wanting to lose their powers. And despite all appearances, Sado didn't believe them to be ill-informed. Not if they had possessed their powers for as long as they clearly had. Surely at least one had encountered another Hollow in that time, and only survived because of their curse. So unless they all shared the same death wish, losing their powers was not truly their goal. It was debatable how much of that Nel actually knew or had guessed, though: Sado suspected that she or her adult form instinctively considered Xcution enemies for some reason that neither one could explain. But he felt sure that Nel thought that way not because of any threat they posed to her, but because of the threat they might pose to the Kurosaki family.

After a few minutes of silence, Nel noticed that Sado was awake. "Don't worry, Giant," she said, patting his chest gently. "Nel will fix you right up."

"What happened to me?" Sado asked softly, glancing around. He wasn't sure at first how he'd ended up lying in an alley. He had spent most of the day wandering around near Yuzu and Karin's school. Uryū had assumed that the attacker would wait until the twins were either leaving school or at home alone to make his move. So the plan had been for Uryū to join Sado just as Yuzu and Karin got out of school, and then walk the girls home. In retrospect, however, the plan had two huge flaws: both Sado and Uryū would basically be without backup if they were attacked early, and while Uryū would at least have been surrounded by other students, Sado was essentially on his own, a fact that the attacker had exploited.

"Somebody hit you," Nel explained. "There was a big, knuckle-shaped dent in your chest. Like they wanted it to be a hole, but weren't strong enough to do that. It's lucky you're so strong. Did you see who did it?"

"Not exactly," Sado replied. "I thought I heard a noise over my shoulder, so I turned to look. And when I turned back around, that's when I got hit. They were fast, and shorter than me, but I didn't really get a good look. I think it was a human wearing black, though."

"I'm not so sure it was a regular human," Nel disagreed at once.

Sado blinked. "What? Why? Did you see something?"

"No, but..." Nel hesitated, then nodded. "When I was checking your wound, I found Hollow energy. Really faint, though."

"I've been told my power is very similar to a Hollow's."

"This wasn't yours," Nel insisted. "Nel knows the difference. I think you got attacked by someone like you."

"Another Fullbringer? That's not really surprising. It's actually what I expected to happen. And if they're weaker than me, that's even better." Sado grunted as he slowly began to sit up. Nel moved to his lap to accommodate him, but continued healing his chest. "It's lucky that you were close by."

"Not really," Nel said. "I was probably farther away than Ichigo, but I'm faster than him, even like this."

Sado stared at her for a long moment. "...don't you mean 'Itsygo', Nel?"

She paused, then blushed. "Shut up!" she cried, smacking his arm. "I can grow up if I want!"

Sado made a thoughtful noise and continued to stare at her. "You do seem... different somehow. More grown up, I guess. Could you be merging with your adult form?"

Nel shook her head. "That's not really how it works. I have two forms but only one body. Even in this form, I can still remember my time among the Espada. And in my adult form, I still have urges to play tag or eat sweets. So that means that my two distinct sets of memories have merged somewhat."

"So... not so much growing up as growing back in?"

"I guess that's one way to look at it."

"CHAD!" Ichigo shouted as he raced onto the scene, only to find Sado and Nel staring at him blankly. "Uh... you okay?"

"Nel healed me," Sado explained, getting to his feet with little difficulty.

"But... what happened?!" Ichigo demanded anxiously. "They said you got attacked!"

"Yes, but it was nothing serious," Sado assured him.

"That's not true!" Nel cried. "Ichigo, he was attacked by a human with Hollow powers! I told you, you can't trust them!"

Ichigo sighed. "Nel, a while back, I wouldn't have trusted any Arrancar, either. I made an exception for you. How can you be so sure that these guys aren't an exception, instead of the rule?

"Then why didn't they come with you to check if Giant was okay?"

"Maybe they sensed you nearby and decided to hang back? They already told me they wouldn't get involved if you were around, so all this means is they're keeping their word. Sounds trustworthy to me. Why are you-"

"Ichigo!" a voice shouted, and then Riruka ran up, slightly out of breath. "Was it him?! Did Moe-kun attack Sado?"

There was no warning for what happened next: one moment Riruka was just standing there, and the next, she was frozen in shock as she stared down at Nel's small hand, which was buried up to the wrist just below Riruka's throat. Most disturbing of all, there was no hatred or anger in Nel's expression, merely a flat stare, as if Riruka was no more than an insect that happened into her path and was to be immediately stepped on. Nel did not even seem to be aware that anything was wrong until Riruka began to make a soft, gurgling noise. Then Nel's eyes widened, and she quickly withdrew her hand. Riruka collapsed backwards into Ichigo's arms, blood gushing from the hole in her chest.

"I didn't mean," Nel began nervously, then stopped. "I mean, I did, but-"

"STOP!" Ichigo roared, glaring at her as he clutched Riruka's weakly twitching body to his chest. "Just... stop, Nel!" It seemed to be taking him a tremendous amount of effort to maintain his anger, despite what he'd just seen. "I didn't want them to be right about you, but now..."

"No! She's an enemy, Ichigo!" Nel pleaded. "I'd never do that to anyone who didn't deserve it!"

"There was a time when you never would have done it at all," Ichigo whispered. "You're... different, Nel."

She recoiled, realizing it was anything but a compliment this time. "Ichigo... please?"

He shook his head and carefully lifted Riruka in his arms. "I'm taking her to Inoue. After that... I don't know. Just... stay away!" Ichigo turned and ran off, leaving Nel staring after him with tears in her eyes.

Sado knelt down and placed his hand on Nel's shoulder. "You're that certain that Riruka and the others can't be trusted?" he asked.

Nel looked at him with wide eyes. "You believe me?"

"I believe the Nel I know would never do that that to someone we could trust. Even so... Ichigo may never look at you the same again."

Nel burst into tears and clung to Sado's arm. "I only wanted to protect him!"

Sado just gently patted her back, wondering over the changes in Nel. Most of all, he wondered if, as troubling as those changes might seem now, they'd be necessary to save them all from whatever the threat truly was.

* * *

><p>There were many things that Orihime had said over the years that Ichigo hadn't understood. But after examining and then removing the hole in Riruka's body, Orihime said something that Ichigo thought he would never understand.<p>

"I don't think Nel-chan wanted to kill Riruka."

"...you're gonna have to explain that," Ichigo insisted.

Orihime hesitated, her gaze flicking nervously around the hospital room. After being healed, Riruka had headed straight for the nearest vending machine for some juice. Apparently she was worried that Orihime hadn't completely healed her, and wanted to make sure she could drink liquids without springing a leak. Tatsuki had gone with her, less because she wanted to and more because Orihime had asked her to. This wasn't entirely out of concern for Riruka. Orihime was sure that she needed to speak to Ichigo alone, but now she was dreading the conversation.

"You don't know this, but when you suffered a similar injury, the wound was filled with the attacker's reiatsu, which made it extremely difficult to heal. Nel-chan knows that, she watched me heal you. But there was almost no trace of any reiatsu in Riruka's wound. The only explanation is that Nel-chan wanted me to be able to heal it easily. She wouldn't do that if she really wanted Riruka dead."

"But she punched a hole in Riruka's chest!" Ichigo shouted.

"That is... disturbing, but Nel-san was an Espada. I'm sure if she wanted to kill Riruka with one attack, I would have had to do a lot more than fill in a small hole."

"Why doesn't this bother you more?" Ichigo snapped.

Orihime stared at him sadly. "Because Nel-chan is my friend, and I trust her. Riruka seems nice, but I don't really know her that well. So if you're asking me to choose sides, I choose Nel-chan, no matter what she's done. I know Riruka and her friends are trying to restore your powers, and if they succeed and truly mean us no harm, then I will of course apologize to them for what Nel-chan did."

"They might not even want to keep teaching me after this," Ichigo muttered.

"Oh, we're going to keep at it," Jackie said angrily from the doorway. "And after all this trouble, you had better master Fullbring. Because if you don't rid us all of our powers, then I'm going to use mine to make your life a living hell." She paused, then nodded stiffly to Orihime. "Thank you for saving my best friend. She's not an easy person to love, but I do."

"You're very welcome," Orihime replied. "I know you have no reason to believe this now, but not all Hollows thoughtlessly attack people. Nel-chan has never done anything like this in all the time we've known her."

Jackie frowned at her. "I know you meant that to be reassuring. But it only tells me that either you don't know her well, or she's recently become violently unpredictable. Neither makes me want to get near her anytime soon."

"I'll make sure that Nel keeps her distance," Ichigo promised.

"Riruka has to accept part of the blame, too," Jackie sighed. "She wasn't supposed to go after you, but she thought she might be able to talk some sense into Shishigawara."

"Has that ever worked before?" Ichigo asked doubtfully.

"Yes, actually, but not enough times where I would suggest that you depend on it. He can be violently unpredictable, too."

"Do you think he'd hurt her?"

"He'd be more likely to hurt her friends instead. Despite everything, I think he actually does love Riruka too much to ever seriously hurt her. But he has a temper, and he would have no problem killing anyone who stood between him and her. I've never seen him punch a hole in someone's chest, but it does sound like he actually tried it with Sado and failed. Which is pretty odd, given the nature of his Fullbring."

"Which is what?" Ichigo asked. "You guys haven't actually told me anything about it."

"To put it simply, he's almost always lucky in a fight. The only person I know that's beaten him is Tsukishima, and that's more because Tsukishima trained him than anything else." Jackie laughed bitterly. "But, since Tsukishima is easily the best fighter among us, that just makes things worse."

"So why doesn't he stop Shishigawara, then?"

Jackie shrugged. "Trust me, I suggested that more than once. He always claims he can't bear to hurt his student, which I think is a load of bull. But no one else will stand to hear anything bad about Tsukishima, so I always get overruled. Plus he tends to pull this damned disappearing act whenever I get too insistent."

"It sounds like Tsukishima is simultaneously part of the problem and the best way to fix it," Orihime murmured.

"That's pretty much him in a nutshell," Jackie replied. "Problem is, he does all the manipulating, so it doesn't work at all on him. Force won't work, because as I said, he's better than all of us and we all know it."

"So why did he get me involved?" Ichigo asked. "I still don't even know how he knows me at all."

"No idea. All I know is we needed a Shinigami, and Tsukishima suggested you."

* * *

><p>Karin scowled across the table at Uryū, who did his best to pretend he didn't notice. Ichigo had some weird friends, but Uryū was the only one that Karin didn't actually consider her brother's friend at all. They always ended up yelling at each other, for one thing. Ichigo could be a jerk sometimes, but Uryū seemed to be that way all of the time in Karin's opinion. Except around Yuzu, who he made a genuine attempt to be nice to. Around Karin, he mostly kept his mouth shut, probably because he knew what she thought of him.<p>

The only reason Karin hadn't put up a fight when he'd insisted on walking them home was because he'd mentioned that Sado was supposed to join them. But Sado hadn't shown up, which was both annoying (it left them stuck with Uryū) and worrying (it wasn't like Sado to no-show without warning, unless he was unconcious or seriously hurt). Uryū had been concerned as well, but tried not to show it.

Thankfully, the doorbell rang about an hour before dinner. Karin immediately ran to the door and yanked it open. Sure enough, it was Sado. He seemed quiet, even for him, but otherwise fine.

"So where were you?" Karin demanded, glaring up at him. We were worried sick!" She gave him a kick to the ankle that probably hurt her more than it did him.

Sado had the decency to fake a wince. "Sorry, Karin. Something came up, and I had to help a friend. Let me introduce you." He moved aside, allowing Karin to see the tall, unassuming young man accompanying him.

"Hello," the man said, offering his hand to Karin. "You may call me Shū-chan."

Karin frowned and shook his hand. "Uh... why would I do that? I don't even know you."

"Of course you know me, Karin-chan," the man said as Yuzu and Uryū joined them in the front hall. "You all do. I know it's been a long time, so allow me to refresh your memories..."

* * *

><p>Things had officially gotten out of hand, as far as Rukia could see. There were just way too many problems and she didn't have enough information or manpower to solve them all.<p>

Oddly enough, Ginjō getting injured wasn't even at the top of the list: while his supposedly being attacked by Pesche was worrying, he would survive. It had been impossible to track Pesche, as apparently all of those years of hiding Nel from enemies had taught him plenty about concealing himself. In fact, if Pesche had not been guarding Orihime, who thankfully was _not_ hiding, Rukia never would have stumbled across him. But talking to Pesche only brought up more questions: he denied attacking anyone, just as Rukia had expected, and had not even seen any Shinigami other than her and Urahara Kisuke since his arrival in Karakura Town. Furthermore, Nel had ordered him to stay at the hopsital, and he had done so, which Orihime and Tatsuki were able to verify. More than that, during the timeframe when Ginjō had been attacked, Pesche had actually been _in_ the hospital room, bragging about his heroic exploits, so there was no way he had attacked Ginjō. Which meant there was either a convincing body double (which Rukia never even seriously considered, who would want to look like either of Nel's brothers?), or Ginjō was lying.

Then there was the matter of why Orihime and Tatsuki were even in the hospital at all. Rukia had gathered no real evidence on the mystery attacker, having been preoccupied with Xcution and their possible experimentation on Hollows. But in another blow to Ginjō's trustworthiness, there was no evidence of that, either. If anything, Xcution preferred to have nothing to do with Hollows, and surely that was the case now, with Nel's attack on Riruka. Rukia wouldn't have believed it if Orihime hadn't assured her that Ichigo had witnessed it himself. And it only made Rukia more certain that she needed to speak with Nel.

That, however, was something of a problem. Pesche either didn't know where Nel was, or wouldn't say. Rukia couldn't blame him with all that was going on, and with the way Ichigo had reacted to the attack, Nel was probably in no mood to talk to anyone. But Rukia felt sure that if Nel could explain why she'd felt the need to attack Riruka, it would help Rukia expose Xcution's true motives.

Finding Nel turned out to be pretty easy: even a former Espada would have stuck out among the Hollows that usually frequented Karakura Town, but just as with Pesche, there was almost no trace of her. That meant someone was helping her hide, and Rukia knew of only one person capable of and willing to do that. But since Nel wasn't at Urahara's shop, that left only one place she possibly could be, and Rukia couldn't figure out why Nel would ever go there. But sure enough, the moment that Rukia was allowed into the abandoned warehouse that the Visoreds called home, she was instantly able to sense Nel among them.

"Your barriers are amazing as ever, Hachigen-san," Rukia commented as the large man escorted her inside. "If I hadn't been here before, I never would have known to look for Nel here."

"I cannot take all the credit, Kuchiki-san," Hachigen replied. "Nel-chan is rather good at concealing herself, but she wanted to be sure that she'd be left alone while she was practicing."

Rukia frowned. "Practicing what?"

Hachigen paused notably. "Nel-chan has asked me not to say. In truth, the only reason I permitted you to enter is because I fear what will happen if Shinigami become involved without some advance warning. Nel-chan means well, but sometimes she still thinks like an Espada, and forgets that Shinigami may view her as such if they do not understand her intent."

"What is she doing here that could be misunderstood?" Rukia asked, genuinely worried now.

"Nel-chan believes that Xcution represents a very real threat to Ichigo, and is desparate to protect him. She has begun intense training in hopes of stabilizing her powers. Her goal is to return to her adult form permanently."

"That doesn't sound so bad."

"Oh? You do not think that the Gotei 13 would be at all alarmed at the revival of a former Espada?"

Rukia hesitated. "Well, it's not as if Aizen is around to command them. And we've all grown stronger since then, so one Espada wouldn't be as much of a threat to us now. From what I heard, Nel wasn't even a real threat to the Espada in her adult form. Anyway, I'm sure I could explain that Nel means no harm."

"Except to those she considers enemies, and as I told you, she isn't exactly friends with all Shinigami." Hachigen sighed and shook his head. "In case you have forgotten, we Visoreds are a shining example of the Gotei 13 not appreciating subtle differences. True, they have accepted us now, but only after we were hidden away to keep them from hunting us, only after we proved our usefullness to them in combat. I doubt it will be any better for Nel-chan."

"I know that you had a bad experience, but I think-"

"Let me be clear," Hachigen interrupted, firmly. "I will not allow your misguided intentions to harm Nel-chan. The moment you set foot in here, I erected a barrier. The only person I know of who could possibly penetrate it without my permission is Orihime, and I am sure she would agree with my choice. You will stay until Nel says you can leave. It shouldn't be long now."

"What shouldn't be?" Rukia wasn't happy about being a prisoner, but she understood why it had been done, and so didn't protest. "How exactly is she training, and why did she need your help?"

"Each of the Espada had a unique, unmatched ability. Nel-chan's was her ability to safely absorb Cero, even at the Espada rank. We have been exploiting this to rapidly increase her power reserves."

"You actually think that's going to work?"

"It already has. Based on the results after only a single session with Hiyori, we-"

"Wait," Rukia cut in. "This would have been just before Nel decided to put her fist in a girl's chest, right?"

"Correct," Hachigen agreed.

Rukia stared at him in disbelief. "You don't seem at all concerned or convinced that there might be a connection between the two events."

"Because I am already sure. Nel-chan was very clear on that when she explained it to us in detail. Her rise in power is directly related to her increased aggression. There is no question of that."

"Then shouldn't you stop making her stronger, rather than help her intensify her training?"

"There are factors you are and must remain unaware of for the time being," Hachigen replied. "I can only say that the sooner Nel-chan has permanently regained her adult form and stabilized her power, the sooner she can ensure that such behavior will no longer occur."

Rukia said nothing more as Hachigen guided her to an underground room that more closely resembled a desert landscape. She instantly recognized the other Visoreds, all of whom were sprawled about the ground in various positions and looked fairly exhausted. Rukia had no idea how much energy was required to fire a Cero, but it looked as if they'd given their all and then some in order to help Nel. She didn't think they would have bothered if there was no real chance of success, based on what Ichigo had told her about them.

"Rukia-chan!" a voice cried happily.

Rukia turned and was nearly bowled over as an adult-sized Nel slammed into her and gave her a crushing hug. "N-Nel?" she gasped, hoping she could be heard over what she was sure was the sound of her ribs cracking.

"I'm so glad you're here! I missed you!"

"Nel, you're... big again?" Rukia asked weakly, wincing as Nel gave her another squeeze before letting go.

"Yeah! Hiyori and the others gave me all their Cero, and it worked! I think I can finally stay in this form for good!

"So your training is complete now?"

Nel frowned. "Um... no, actually. I still need more help."

"More?" Rukia asked in shock. "But why? You're already-" She trailed off abruptly, finally noticing something truly odd. Nel was an adult now, at least in body, so there were some clear changes in that respect, but nothing too unexpected (although Rukia personally thought that certain women had no right to be quite so busty). There was one change that Rukia found a bit disturbing, however: Nel's Hollow skull now had a third eye socket, positioned slightly higher and between the expected ones. And for no reason that Rukia could explain, she felt that third socket wasn't quite so empty as the others, and that the eye hidden within it might be watching her closely.

Hachigen suddenly cleared his throat. "Nel-chan, your guests have arrived. I shall let them in now."

"Thanks, Hachi!" Nel squealed, giving him a big hug. "I can't wait for you guys to meet my family!"

Rukia wondered if she should explain to Nel that meeting her "brothers" for the first time was actually annoying at best and downright terrifying at worst, but decided not to spoil the mood any worse than the sight of Dondochokka's face would. However, it suddenly occured to her that if Nel's brother's were here, then it meant Pesche was no longer guarding Orihime and Tatsuki at the hospital. Before Rukia had the chance to worry about this, she saw that her fears were misplaced.

Well, not misplaced, exactly. More like she had just been worrying about the wrong problems.

Because while it was indeed Dondochokka who entered the trapdoor first, it was not Pesche who followed him in. Instead, there was a tall, slender woman with long, olive-green hair. That was all Rukia really got to see before Nel rushed past, blocking Rukia's view of the woman with a delighted cry of "Sun-chan!" The woman was soon on the recieving end of one of Nel's crushing hugs, though Rukia noted that the woman's discomfort with it seemed to extend, not from pain as expected, but from the act of affection itself. Almost as if she was presently so terribly strong that Nel's embrace couldn't actually hurt her. Because the alternative explanation was that Nel had actually shown some restraint during a hug, which Rukia had never known to happen.

That was odd, but not yet a cause for concern. At least, not until Rukia spotted the creature sitting patiently at the woman's feet. It was the exact same... "dog" Hollow that Rukia had seen earlier, with strength that easily surpassed a Gillian-class. And if it was this woman's pet, that could only mean that she was even stronger.

"You had us all greatly worried, Nel-dono," the woman said sternly, peeling Nel off with some effort (not, Rukia guessed, because Nel's grip was too strong for her, but because the woman seemed to be trying her best not to hurt Nel in any way during the process). "You should not have run off without telling us, and you should have asked for our help the moment you first found yourself in trouble."

Nel's whole body seemed to droop. "I'm really sorry, Sun-chan," she apologized, on the verge of tears. "I just wanted to be on my own for a while. I didn't want to be a burden anymore."

"What an incredibly foolish and wholly inaccurate thing to say. I have no choice but to punish you now." Sun reached out and began to rub Nel's head, as if she were a puppy. "You are not a burden, Nel-dono. You are our most precious and troublesome little sister. Now, promise to never shame your big sisters by repeating such a thoughtless lie in Harribel-sama's presence."

"I promise!" Nel cried at once, showing clear signs of wanting to hug again.

Sun sighed and nodded, rolling her eyes as Nel latched onto her again. "You should also make sure to thank Ayon and Dondochokka. They brought me directly to you."

Nel immediately rewarded them both with a hug and a kiss on the head. For some reason, Nel rewarded Ayon first, then returned after rewarding Dondochokka and picked the dog up, cuddling it in her arms.

Sensing this was a good time to interrupt, Rukia hesitantly stepped forward. "Excuse me, but... I wasn't aware Nel had any sisters. May I have your name?"

Sun stared at Rukia for a long moment, and then replied, quite rudely, "No, you may not. I am not in the habit of allowing unknown Shinigami to have my name."

Rukia frowned. "Then I suppose I will have to refer to you as 'Sun-chan' until-"

With no warning, Rukia suddenly found the sharp, middle tip of a sai pressing against her throat. "That is 'Sun-sama' to you, Shinigami. You are addressing the second most powerful Arrancar in Hueco Mundo, and you will show me the proper respect."

Nel pouted and tugged on Sun's sleeve. "Sun-chan, Rukia-chan is my friend. You can't hurt her."

Sun hesitated, then made the sai vanish back into her long sleeve. "Very well, Nel-dono. But in the future, advise your... 'friends' that I do not tolerate such rudeness. You may have a few moments to rest, and then we will immediately continue working on this project of yours." She turned and walked away abruptly, muttering to herself. Dondochokka looked torn for a moment, glancing between Sun and Nel uncertainly, but at Nel's nod, he quickly dipped his head and rushed after Sun.

"I'm not sure I care much for your sister, Nel," Rukia admitted, rubbing her throat carefully.

"That's what most people say about Sun-chan," Nel agreed. "But she always takes really good care of me, and she never yells at me no matter how mad I make her."

"What is this project you're working on, Nel? Can you tell me about it?"

"No." Nel turned away from her. "I made a promise. If you knew, you'd try to stop me. And if you did that, I don't know that I could stop Sun-chan from killing you. I don't want you to die, Rukia-chan. I don't want any of my friends to die."

* * *

><p>Ichigo returned to his home physically and mentally exhausted. He had spent the majority of the day attempting to master his Fullbring, and the rest worrying over what Nel had done to Riruka. He was thankful that he had friends like Sado that were willing to step in and look after his family, or he'd never manage to get anything done.<p>

The house was oddly quiet even for the late hour: Ichigo half-expected his father to come flying around the corner with a welcoming dropkick at any second, but it didn't happen. Even odder, there was no note from Yuzu telling him that she'd made a plate from dinner just for him, and no sign of the aforementioned plate on the stove, in the oven, or in the refrigerator.

There was one note, however, but it wasn't downstairs at all, or from anyone in his family. It was upstairs, pinned to the girls' bedroom door, and with each line that Ichigo read, his blood ran a little colder.

"Kurosaki, your Hollow put a hole in my girl's chest, so maybe I'll return the favor on your two girls. Bring me Riruka, you can have Yuzu. Bring me the Hollow, you can have Karin. Agree to become my new underling, and I'll leave your friends out of this. Don't keep me waiting. Oh, and if you kill the Hollow in front of me, as a sign of good faith, I'll tell you exactly why you can't depend on Xcution to get you out of this mess. Best wishes, Shishigawara."

* * *

><p>"It's my fault, isn't it?"<p>

Pesche turned away from the window to find Orihime staring at him from her hospital bed. "What's your fault?"

"The way Nel-chan is acting now. It's because of the favor she's doing for me, isn't it? Please don't lie to me, Pesche."

"I have no reason to lie. You are mistaken."

Orihime shook her head. "It's obvious to me. The way she attacked Riruka... it's the exact same way that Ulquiorra attacked his enemies. I've changed Nel-chan for the worst, haven't I?"

"You are mistaken," Pesche repeated. "Nel-chan has not changed at all."

Orihime stared at him in shock. "How can you say that, after what you saw today?"

"What I saw was Nel-chan protecting a friend, even though she knew that friend might not appreciate her help. She has always been that way, and I would know better than you."

"Then how do you explain her using _his_ signature attack?"

Pesche shrugged. "It is possible that his persona has begun to take root in her mind, but Dondochokka and I would know at once if that was dangerous to Nel-chan."

"It seems to be more dangerous to those around her, actually," Orihime disagreed.

"Those who should not be around her," Pesche corrected smoothly.

"So then... she's not in any danger of being taken over?"

"No. Even if she was, we have ways of preventing that. We have watched over Nel-chan for a long time, and we are quite good at it."

* * *

><p>"You are quite certain you can do this safely, Nel-dono?" Sun asked for the third time. "Harribel-sama would never forgive me if I caused you serious injury. I would have a most difficult time accepting it myself."<p>

"I can't promise it won't hurt me," Nel admitted, "but I'm sure it will help a lot either way, and we need to do this fast. I never expected it to be completely painless."

Sun sighed and shook her head. "I never imagined that one of the perks of my new station would involve harming you, but I am under orders to assist you in any way you deem necessary."

"And I really do appreciate it, Sun-chan. I knew I could count on you."

"Stop being cute, you're only making this harder for me," Sun snapped, rummaging around in her sleeves.

"They're just talking," Rukia complained from her position behind a large boulder several yards away. "I thought they were going to do something extremely dangerous?"

"They are," Hachigen assured her. "You do not seem to understand just who Sun-san is."

"One of the few surviving Fracción, but why is that important?"

Hachigen shook his head. "That is merely who she once was. Things have changed drastically in Hueco Mundo since Aizen's war ended. According to Nel-chan, the former Espada that Sun-san serves is now the ruling power there."

Rukia shrugged. "Process of elimination can do that, and Hollows have always been good at eliminating, especially each other."

"I'm afraid it is not quite that simple. You have seen how devoted Nel-chan's Fracción are to her. That is not at all typical of the bond between Espada and Fracción, and that only makes the nature of the bond all the more uniquely strong. Sun-san did not merely happen to become a high-ranking Arrancar simply because her master did, or because there was no left to challenge them. They seized power and ruthlessly crushed anything and anyone that stood in their way. She may have been bragging when she stated how powerful she was, but it was far from a lie." Hachigen paused and cleared his throat. "You said that the Espada would no longer be a threat, because Shinigami as a whole had grown stronger. But I'm afraid you are mistaken. The Espada are not in the habit of merely allowing their rivals to surpass them due to their own inactivity. The very nature of the Espada demands that they constantly grow stronger, or else risk losing their position, or their very lives. And that is merely to protect them from their own kind. Nel-chan was outclassed when she faced an Espada in battle, yet she had once been one of them, and should have had a better idea than anyone how powerful they were. So when I tell you that you have no idea how powerful Sun-san is, trust me, it is all too true."

Before Rukia could say anything else, a brilliant, pink light washed over them, and an instant later, the boulder began to move, slowly but surely, away from where Sun and Nel had been training.

"It has begun," Hachigen murmured, slamming his hands together and quickly erecting a barrier around them.

Rukia peered around his arm and was shocked by what she saw. Sun was charging a Cero with one arm, but it was nothing like any Cero that Rukia had ever seen before (and that was saying something, since she'd nearly had her head vaporized by one at point-blank range in the past). As the energy formed a ball, jagged bolts constantly seeped out, tearing out large chunks of ground and making the attack resemble a rapidly growing spider. "W-What _is_ that?" she gasped.

"They call it Gran Rey Cero," Hachigen explained. "It is a far more powerful variation that is unique to the Espada."

"Then why is _she_ using it?!" Rukia demanded.

Hachigen slowly turned to look at her. "I believe I just told you why," he responded, and any words after that were lost in the massive explosion that followed.

* * *

><p><strong>Continued in Chapter 5: Deadlock<strong>

Ichigo finds himself in a three-way struggle between Shishigawara, who holds the Kurosaki sisters hostage, and Xcution, who insist that he master his Fullbring before challenging Shishigawara. But there are several factors Ichigo is unaware of, including the return of old foes who are now new friends, and old friends that are now new foes.


End file.
